GUWAHATI, Nov 5 ? The 12-hour Guwahati bandh called by the VHP, the Bajrang Dal, the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Marcha in protest against the demolition of a Hanuman temple on the riverfront at Uzanbazar by the district administration, paralysed normal life in the city. The bandh was from 5 am to 5 pm.
Shops and business establishments remained closed and private city buses were off the road. While educational institutions and Government offices were open, attendance was thin. Private vehicles, however, continued to ply on the city roads as well as the national highways. No untoward incident was reported during the bandh.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Kirip Chaliha who visited the temple site today, assured the local citizens that another temple would be constructed a little away from the earlier site, in a manner that would not hamper the road expansion process.
It may be mentioned that the temple was demolished after the administration embarked on a land-acquisition drive following the Government?s decision to widen and beautify a number of city roads. While the administration insists that prior notice was issued to all the affected parties, the temple authorities maintain that they have not received any notice and the temple was destroyed all of a sudden.
During the bandh, the people of Uzanbazar area took out a procession and staged a protest in front of the Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner?s office. They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India demanding restoration of the temple at the original site.
Meanwhile, the VHP, North-East unit, appealed to the people to extend cooperation in its future programme of reinstallation of the temple in its original place. It also thanked the people for making the bandh a success.
The AGP, Guwahati City Committee, has also expressed resentment at the sudden demolition of the temple, saying that the people of the area should have been taken into confidence before the move. ?The issue is a sensitive one involving the religious sentiment of the people,? it said, adding that the temple should be reconstructed after discussing the matter with the temple authorities and the people.