Call to boycott I-Day celebrations in northeast
August 10th, 2010 - 2:34 pm ICT by IANSGuwahati, Aug 10 (IANS) Security forces were put on maximum alert across the northeast as five guerrilla groups Tuesday called a 17-hour general strike to boycott Independence Day celebrations Sunday.
“We call upon the people of our region to boycott and prevent the celebration of India’s Independence Day as a mark of solidarity against Indian colonial occupation and military repression,” a rebel statement by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) said.
The militant groups that called for a boycott of the Independence Day celebrations include the ULFA, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), fighting for a separate homeland comprising parts of Assam and West Bengal, the Manipur People’s Liberation Front (MPLF), an umbrella group of several Manipuri rebel groups, and the Tripura People’s Democratic Front (TPDF).
These groups are active in Assam, Manipur and Tripura. As part of the boycott call Aug 15, the militant groups have called for a general strike from 1.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Sunday.
Militant groups in the northeast have for years boycotted national events to protest New Delhi’s rule over the region.
Security forces have been put on maximum alert across the region to thwart possible rebel strikes, officials said.
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- People defy I-Day boycott call in northeast - Aug 15, 2010
- Naga rebel group calls 36 hour shutdown - Jan 24, 2012
- Separatists call shutdown to boycott Independence Day in Northeast - Aug 10, 2009
- ULFA bomber held in Assam, security alert in northeast - Jan 25, 2010
- People defy boycott call to celebrate I-Day in northeast - Aug 15, 2009
- Goods train bombed, bus attacked in Assam ahead of R-Day - Jan 25, 2011
- Women bombers sneak into Guwahati ahead of I-Day: police - Aug 13, 2009
- Northeast separatists call Republic Day boycott - Jan 20, 2010
- 45 kg RDX among explosives, arms seized in Assam - Aug 14, 2009
- Tight security in Northeast as separatists call shutdown to boycott R-Day - Jan 26, 2010
- Serial explosions in Manipur, bombs recovered in Assam (Lead) - Jan 25, 2010
Tags: assam, colonial occupation, guerrilla groups, guwahati, independence day, independence day celebrations, liberation organisation, maximum alert, militant groups, military repression, national democratic front, national democratic front of bodoland, rebel groups, rebel statement, security forces, solidarity, ulfa, umbrella group, united liberation front, west bengal