Aizawl, Sept 26: The 12-hour Mizoram bandh sponsored by the Save Mizoram Committee (SMC) comprising of all major political parties, NGOs and student bodies completely paralysed normal life in the state today. Government offices, banks, financial institutions and educational institutions remained closed and all the business houses downed shutters as people stayed indoors and vehicles remained off the roads, official sources said here. Police said the bandh passed off peacefully and there was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the state. The bandh call was given to protest the election commission's alleged move to include 14,616 BRU voters, now living in refugee camps in Tripura, in the Mizoram voters' lists. SMC leaders said that the Election Commission's move to include voters now residing in other state was in gross violation of the provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and the organisation will take up the matter in the Guwahati High Court.

Mizoram election officials, who had collected the names of BRU's from the Tripura refugee camps following instruction from the Election Commission had recently submitted the lists to the commission.

Bureau Report