Tezpur: The eight-day long economic blockade in Assam against Arunachal Pradesh was temporarily lifted on Thursday and the agitators gave 20-day time to the state government to fulfil their demands, including punishing the culprits for killing 11 CPI(ML) supporters.
"We have temporarily withdrawn the blockade. This has been done after the administration has decided to release the compensation money to the victims in the next few days," sources in KMSS said.
"If these demands are not fulfilled within the next 20 days, we will have no option but to launch the blockade again," he said.
The organisations, including CPI(ML), KMSS, AGSU, AASU, AKRASU, ABSU, AJYCP, AASA and ATTSAA, took out a protest rally at Biswanath Chariali before submitting a memorandum to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi via Sonitpur DC and announced to halt the agitation for 20 days.
Four organisations submitted separate memoranda and gave the deadline to the state government to accept their demands.
The charter of demands include amicable settlement of long pending inter-state border dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, exemplary punishment to the culprits involved in the Chauldhowa killing and providing adequate security to people living in the border areas.
The economic blockade at Chariduar and Borgang in Assam`s Sonitpur district was launched on January 30, a day after the killing of the CPI(ML) men by miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh.
The blockade has affected East and West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh and has left stranded many people from the state in various parts of the country. People in interior places of the landlocked mountain state living near international borders are suffering due to scarcity of food items and fuel.
