Twelve militant outfits of the northeast have given a joint call to boycott Independence Day in the region. In a statement issued by United National Liberation Front of WESEA (UNLFW), an umbrella group of several north-eastern rebel outfits, condemned the "continuous racist attacks" on people from the region in Indian mainland.

The United National Liberation Front of WESEA consists of the ULFA (I), NDFB (S), NSCN (K), KLO, CorCom (under which six Meitei outfits operate) and two Meghalaya-based groups - Garo National Liberation Army and Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council.

RISE AGAINST OPPRESSION

The rebels have called on the "oppressed people" in the region to rise up against "oppression and tyranny" and boycott Independence Day.

The rebels allege that the Indian Armed Forces had been adequately equipped with AFSPA to crush dissent within Indian democracy run mostly by "corrupt thugs indulged in crimes."

"The world's largest collection of pristine indigenous tribes of unique and myriad cultures are slowly being lost to the subtle changes bringing in self-destruction, following a mirage of progress of the elusive Indian utopia," the statement said.

SECURITY FORCES ON RADAR



"All public and private transportation should come to a grinding halt, all shops and markets to draw their shutters down, educational institutions to remain close on August 15, 2016 from 1 am till 6 pm," the statement read.

However, essential and humanitarian services have been exempted from the shutdown call. "Our target is the Indian occupational forces, not a single civilian," it announced.

The rebels have appealed to civilians to avoid public gatherings and asked students to stay home. The strike call comes just days after NDFB(S) militants gunned down 14 civilians in Assam's Kokrajhar district.