Guwahati, Feb. 11: The banned Ulfa and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today separately called bandhs throughout Assam, respectively on Monday and Tuesday.

The statewide bandhs are in protest against yesterday’s police firing at Kakopathar in Tinsukia district, which claimed 10 lives.

In a harshly-worded statement, Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa described the Kakopathar incident as “worse than the Jallianwala Bagh killings perpetrated by the British”.

The AASU, too, came down heavily on the Tarun Gogoi government, claiming that the Kakopathar incident had exposed Dispur’s callous attitude towards protecting the lives and property of the common people.

“Even after such a tragic incident, not a single person from the ruling Congress has bothered to visit the spot. All party workers are busy with the visit of party president Sonia Gandhi,” he alleged.

AASU adviser Sammujjal Bhattacharyya pointed out that the students’ organisation has called a bandh after 15 months.

“We have been forced to protest against such a barbaric incident. It is shameful that chief minister Tarun Gogoi, head of the unified command structure, could allow the army and police personnel to kill innocent people,” he said.

Bhattacharyya said the Kakopathar incident was not an isolated one.

A recent series of incidents has exposed the lawlessness prevailing in the state ruled by the Congress, he alleged.

He mentioned how Hitendra Nath Neog had been killed in an alleged fake encounter in Jorhat and innocent youths picked up and branded Ulfa militants.

Extending full support to the bandh sponsored by the AASU, the Opposition AGP has announced an agitation to register its protest against the incident.

Public protest meetings will be held in all 126 Assembly constituencies of the state on Monday.

An AGP delegation, headed by former MP Birendra Prasad Baishya, will leave for New Delhi next week to meet President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to seek his intervention for punishing the culprits responsible for the Kakopathar incident.

A meeting of the AGP Legislature Party will be held on Thursday to chalk out future agitation programmes.

Members of the Asom Yuba Parishad, the AGP’s youth wing, blocked the busy GNB road here this afternoon.

The BJP also took out a protest rally in the city.