Guwahati: The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) has called for a 12-hour bandh in the Itanagar Capital Region on September 24, pressing for action on several education-related demands, including infrastructure requirements in 56 identified schools.
The bandh was scheduled from 5 am to 5 pm. However, Itanagar Capital Region District Magistrate Toko Babu declared the proposed shutdown illegal and unlawful on September 23 and directed ANSU members and others concerned not to organise, support or participate in it.
The administration issued the order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, citing concerns over possible disruption to public life, daily-wage workers, patients and businesses, along with potential law-and-order issues. The order also warned that violations could invite penal action.
The Superintendents of Police of Itanagar and Naharlagun were directed to take necessary measures to maintain public order and ensure the safety of people and property.
The immediate trigger for the bandh is ANSU’s demand for action on 56 schools in Nyishi-inhabited districts. The students’ body had submitted a representation to the Education Department seeking funds and other measures for the identified schools. It later issued a seven-day ultimatum, stating that it had not received the response it expected.
ANSU’s broader demands also include issues concerning Toru Engineering College, Pake-Kessang Special Needs School, and the early advertisement of B.Ed. courses at Neelam Taram Government College, Yachuli.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona met ANSU representatives on September 22 and urged them to withdraw the bandh call. During the meeting, the Education Department reportedly presented an action-taken report on the issues raised by the students’ organisation.