Date:05/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/05/stories/2008060554741300.htm

National

Call for bandh in Assam

Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA) on Wednesday called for a 12-hour Assam bandh on June 9 demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi while the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) urged Governor Ajai Singh to intervene and recommend the dismissal of the Congress-led coalition government in the wake of the arrest of Education Minister Ripun Bora by the Central Bureau of Investigation on bribery charge.

The AATTSA said it would burn effigies of Mr. Gogoi and Mr. Bora in all tea gardens of the State on Thursday.

Call for dharna

The AGP has also called for a State-wide dharna on Thursday to press for its demand of dismissal of the Gogoi-led government. Mr. Gogoi dropped Mr. Bora from his Ministry on Tuesday night.

An AGP delegation, led by party president Brindaban Goswami, Leader of the Opposition Chandra Mohan Patowary and executive president Phani Bhusan Choudhury, called on the Governor and submitted a memorandum demanding dismissal of the Gogoi-led government.

The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Nationalist Congress Party have also made a similar demand.

The State unit of the CPI(M) said Mr. Bora’s arrest on bribery charge exposed criminalisation of politics in Assam.

It urged the people to isolate and reject politicians involved in criminalisation of politics. It demanded a thorough probe into all allegations of criminal and corruption charges raised against several Ministers.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has also demanded dismissal of the Congress-led coalition government.

The AATTSA, as well as the Opposition parties, alleged that Mr. Bora was a suspect in the Daniel Topno murder case that was being investigated by the CBI and his “bid to bribe the apex investigating agency to negotiate the outcome of the probe only reinforced their suspicion about his involvement in the case.”

Killing of Topno

On September 27, 2000, when Topno was returning home from Gohpur in Sonitpur district, he was murdered by some persons. Attacked with sharp weapons, he sustained injuries to his head and abdomen.

The incident took place at about 1.25 km beyond the Chatrang Majgaon Railway Line and around one km short of his residence.