Silchar: The North Cachar Hills Indigenous Peoples Forum (NCHIPF) called off its 100-hour Dima Hasao bandh suspended midway at 5 am on Wednesday, much to the relief of people in southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur.
A spokesman of the non-Dimasa tribal organization in Haflong said they withdrew the bandh following the administration's assurance to look into their demands. The forum and other organizations affiliated to it want creation of a new district and an autonomous council comprising the Dimasa-dominated Maibang sub-division and another district comprising the Haflong subdivision for the non-Dimasas. The demand was raised after the government rechristened North Cachar Hills as Dima Hasao on April 1, 2009,
The 100-hour bandh had begun at 1 am on Monday and was scheduled to continue till 5 am on Friday seeking bifurcation of the hill district among the Dimasas and the non-Dimasas.
Sources said several rounds of talks between representatives of the NCHIPF and superintendent of police (Dima Hasao) V K Remi Shetty were held on Tuesday in Haflong over the tribal organization's demands. The SP assured the NCHIPF members that he woukd take up the issue with the Assam government after August 15. He also pledged to organize a meeting between authorities concerned and NCHIPF representatives to sort out the impasses.
It was after the SP's assurance that the striking organization decided to withdraw the bandh. It, however, threatened to resort to agitation if the government failed to keep its words after August 15.
The bandh had in its first 55 hours crippled life in the non-Dimasa tribal-dominated pockets such as Haflong, Mahur, Harangajao and Ditekcherra in Dima Hasao district. The strike, however, failed to evoke any response in Maibang, Umrangshu, Diyungmukh and other Dimasa-dominated areas of the hill district.
The people of Dima Hasao, the Barak Valley and neighbouring Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur had to go through a harrowing time because of the bandh as all trains passing through the region were cancelled by Northeast Frontier Railway and long-distance bus services were suspended.