Arunachal Violence: Assam artists stage protest

Assam Silpi Suraksha Manch has carried out a protest rally to protest against the alleged violence over artists and musicians in Arunachal Pradesh. The rally has been started from commerce point in Chandmari this afternoon. The violence in Arunachal erupted in the middle of 48 hours bandh call given by various organisations against the Government move to relax the rules in regard to Permanent Residence Certificate(PRC).

The protest rally of artists fraternity started around 11:30 am, had an overarching presence of Assam artists and musicians who were shouting slogans (such as "We want justice") and holding up placards.  The protest was going on peacefully.

Singer Barnali Kalita, lyricist Ajay Phukan, actress-cum-singer Deeplina Deka and many others had taken part in the protest rally. The artists' fraternity asked government to give justice and compensation to the artists, other wise they would stage indefinite protest.

Singer Zubeen Garg also condemned the incident and demanded justice for those artists, who had to face a dangerous situation in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Itanagar International Film festival which was supposed to be inaugurated on Friday bore the maximum burnt as all the arrangements, including convention halls, temporary theatres, stages, food courts, audio and video equipment were burnt down overnight by the mob.

At least 100 artists, many from Assam who went there to perform in the Itanagar International Film festival took shelter in the Dorjee Khandu convention centre. They stayed the whole night in the Centre fearing for life and with the first light of the day, they escaped to Assam border.

One of them is Aneshwa Mahanta from Guwahati who was also stuck in the convention centre. She saw scores of vehicles burnt down as they drive down to Assam on way to Guwahati.

Bollywood Cine-star Satish Kaushik, Producer Rony Lahiri and award-winning filmmaker Utpal Borpujari, Manju Barua and Smaujjal Kashyap all are all stuck in the Hotel as the unruly mob continues to attack moving vehicles as authorities are struggling to bring order.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Government has rolled back the decision to relax the PRC, which is the bone of the contention for this crisis and detained more than 50 mobsters.

On Saturday, speaking over the phone from Itanagar, filmmaker Utpal Borpujari said that the situation is very bad and the film festival was completely destroyed and now it has to be scrapped.