Journalists and citizens took out a procession in Guwahati after hoisting India's National flag at Guwahati Press Club premises on August 15. Pix by Lal Singh

Defying the diktat of militants, the people of Assam in Northeast India have joined the celebration of India's 62nd Independence Day. Besides the government programmes throughout the State, the common people have come forward to observe the auspicious Day on August 15. The journalists in Guwahati have assembled at Guwahati Press Club to hoist the National flag and later took out a procession in the city streets.

However, the celebration witnessed a series of explosions in lower Assam, where militants triggered three blasts Dhubri and Chirang districts. All the explosions took place near the parade grounds readied for flag hoisting ceremony. According to the police sources, two persons received injuries in the explosions.

Mentionable that four banned outfits of Northeast India had issued a call to avoid and even prevent the celebration of Independence Day through out the region. Issued on August 10, the banned armed groups namely Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), Tripura Peoples Democratic Front (TPDF) and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), also imposed a general strike throughout the region on the day.

"On this day, a general strike shall be observed throughout the Region from 01:00 AM to 6:00 PM," said in the statement, which was sent to a section of media persons through internet. The statement, issued by the ULFA chief Arabinda Rajkhowa, made an appeal to the people of Northeast 'to boycott and prevent the celebration in any manner of India's Independence Day on 15th August 2008' to consolidate the people's solidarity to the struggle for liberation from Indian colonial occupation.

Mentionable that Northeast India is the home of more than 30 active armed outfits, who all have been fighting against Indian Union Government with demands ranging from sovereignty to self rule. Thousands of people died in the last few decades because of insurgency. Active among them, the ULFA was formed in 1979 and still fighting New Delhi for an Independent Assam.

"The Indian state has been employing all means, particularly covert and state terrorism to intimidate the outfits and using massive military force to push the liberation forces into peace talks. But as anticipated, such peace talks have not produced the desired results even after 10 years of negotiations as talks could not resolve the politico-military conflict in the region because it does not address the core issue of sovereignty and independence," the statement said.

However, the spirit of Nationalism among the Assamese populace continued and hence the diktat of militants had never deterred the journalists of Assam to convey the message of Independence Day and to make plea to the people to celebrate the Day in a befitting manner. The city-based journalists and conscious citizens joined the celebration at the press club, where the veteran journalist Dhirendra Nath Chakrabarty hoisted the Tricolour.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Chakrabarty remembered the sacrifice of the martyrs of Freedom movement to make the country a free Nation. Pointing his finger to the militants, he criticised their move to impose a diktat on celebration of India's Independence and Republic Days. Rather, he commented, the cadres of the banned armed groups should come forward to join hands in making Assam a prosperous State in the country.

It may be mentioned that a group of Assam based journalists and columnists earlier appealed to the people of Assam to defy the militant's diktat. In a press statement, issued on August 4, they asserted that the people of Assam had 'inherited the spirit of the freedom-fighters who had made immense sacrifices to make India a free nation.'