Valley bandh evokes lukewarm response

SILCHAR: A dawn-to-dusk Barak Valley bandh, called by a number of NGOs and Siddique Ahmed loyalists on Wednesday to protest against the cooperation and border area development minister's removal, evoked mixed response.
Ahmed was dropped from the ministry, along with colleague Ardhendu Dey, on Tuesday for stirring dissidence in the party. Both are loyalists of former education and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who resigned from Gogoi's cabinet after leading a prolonged revolt against the chief minister.
While the bandh was partial in Karimganj, Ahmed's home district, life came to a halt in the Nilambazar, Ratabari, Patharkandi, Badarpur and Kanishail areas of the border district. In Badarpur, picketers blocked the Silchar-Agartala national highway early on Wednesday morning, disrupting vehicle movement. However, the blockade was withdrawn at 2.30pm after police intervened. There was no impact of the bandh in Karimganj town and other areas of the district.
The 12-hour bandh failed to evoke any response in Cachar and Hailakandi, two other districts of Barak Valley. No arrests have been made, the sources said.
Ahmed's supporters burnt the CM's effigy on Tuesday evening in Badarpur and Nilambazar, soon after reports of his ouster came in.