The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) on Thursday announced a 48-hour bandh across seven Nyishi-inhabited districts of Arunachal Pradesh from September 28 if the state government fails to address its demands concerning education infrastructure.
ANSU president Ashok Doka announced the next phase of the agitation following a 12-hour bandh observed by the students’ body in the Itanagar Capital Region on Thursday.
The union has been demanding the renovation and upgradation of 56 identified schools, establishment of a dedicated school for children with special needs in Pakke Kessang, development of Toru Engineering College and improvement of Late Neelam Taram Government College.
The latest bandh call comes after talks between ANSU representatives and state Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona failed to resolve the issues raised by the students’ body. ANSU has maintained that its grievances remain unresolved despite discussions with the government.
The 12-hour bandh in the Itanagar Capital Region began at 5 am and continued until 5 pm. Normal life was affected, with security forces deployed at several sensitive locations, including Chimpu and areas near the Secretariat.
Capital Itanagar Superintendent of Police Jummar Bassar said police were allowing vehicles carrying people for examinations and medical emergencies to pass. He said police had also coordinated with ANSU representatives to facilitate such movements.
Police personnel were deployed across the region to maintain law and order and assist people stranded during the shutdown. The police appealed to ANSU members and students to ensure that the bandh remained peaceful and that no public property was damaged or anyone was harmed.
Earlier, Itanagar Capital Region District Magistrate Toko Babu had declared the proposed 12-hour bandh unlawful under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and warned of legal action against those enforcing, supporting or participating in the shutdown.
The proposed 48-hour bandh from September 28 marks a further escalation of ANSU’s agitation over education infrastructure. The union has said it will continue its protest unless concrete steps are taken to address its demands.
