Although the bandh brought life across the district to a standstill during the day, train services along the Lumding-Silchar section under North-east Frontier Railway remained uninterrupted.
The ASDC, a regional political party called the bandh seeking release of its leader, Mohet Hojai, a former chief executive member of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. He has been in custody since May 30, 2009 along with 14 others, for his alleged involvement in the 1,000crore scam in the once-troubled district.
Report from Haflong, the district headquarters, said all the shops and business establishments, government offices, educational institutions remained closed due to the bandh. Attendance in office of the deputy commissioner and autonomous council was thin. There was no traffic on the road.
Bandh supporters were seen picketing in different parts of the town. Normal life was disrupted in other parts of the district, including Maibang, Mahur, Harangajao, Lungting, Umrangshu, the sources said.
Although security was tightened across the district, no one was arrested, a police officer said.
Apart from the demand for Hojai's release, the bandh called by ASDC is significant on the wake of fast-approaching elections to the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, political observers said.
The election to the 28-member council is slated for next year. The ASDC is out to gain ground under its feet after Hojai's arrest and joining of all the Council members belonging to ASDC to Congress over the past few years.
The United Democratic Alliance, comprising the ASDC and the BJP, in line with its pre-poll arrangement came to power in the autonomous council after the elections held in November-December, 2007. While ASDC bagged 13 seats and the BJP got 9, the Congress managed to bag only three seats and independents won three in the 28-member council. The honeymoon between ASDC and BJP was, however, over the next year and BJP withdrew support from the coalition, thus ASDC became minority and lost power.
In a fresh political development in the hill district, all the elected members of ASDC and six of the seven members of the BJP joined the Congress and helped bring the later to power in the autonomous council.
In the last assembly elections, ASDC tested ground by fielding Hojai in the Haflong constituency. But, there was no good news for the regional party as the jailed nominee lost the polls.