The nation-wide 10-hour shutdown call given by the Congress has crippled normal life across Assam and other north-eastern states early Monday monring.
While the bandh has total response in places across Assam, it evoked partial response in Guwahati – the gateway of the Northeast.
However, most of the schools chose to remain closed, while couple of CBSE affiliated schools have remained open.
Public transport is off the road with business establishments keeping their shutters down.
However, some private vehicles are plying normally.
Sporadic incidents of bandh enforcers forcibly shutting down a few shops here and there across the city have been reported.
However, no major incidents of violence have been reported from any part of the city till filing of this report.
However, Congress supporters led by party leaders and several former ministers have taken to the streets across Assam in support of the bandh call of the All Indian Congress Committee.
Incidents of burning of tyres by bandh supporters have come in from several parts across Assam.
In Tezpur, bandh supporters also engaged in a scuffle with the police preventing them from taking to the streets and burning tyres.
The nation-wide shutdown has been called against the escalating rise in fuel prices almost on a daily basis, depreciation of the rupee, waiving of loans to the farmers and the alleged Rafale deal scam by the Narendra Modi led government at the Centre.
The shutdown called by the Congress has also earned support from several other parties like the Left Front.
The Left parties has also called for a nation-wide hartal coinciding with the shutdown call by the Congress.
The Congress has claimed that as many 21 political parties across the country have extended support to the 10-hour ‘Bharat bandh’ on Monday.
A number of chambers of commerce, traders’ associations, civil societies and citizens’ bodies have also extended support to the bandh call.
The party demanded that petrol and diesel should be brought under GST, by which oil prices could drop by about Rs 15 to Rs 18.
Earlier on Sunday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge for Assam and the former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat led a symbolic procession of the party leaders and workers at the Fancy Bazar locality of the city.
