"Protest isn't against Assamese language but imposition," BDF softens tone a day after erasing Govt. poster 

Yesterday, members of Barak Democratic Youth Front and All Bengali Students Organisation destroyed a government advertisement published in the Assamese Language. The hoarding was placed at Silchar Railway Station where 11 martyrs laid their lives to secure Bengali as the official language of Barak Valley. The irked youths questioned the intention of the state government and damaged the poster. 

Yesterday, the members of the Barak Democratic Front said that in Barak Valley, only Bengali should be the official language of communication. The strong statements made by the members of the organisation has garnered attention from the State capital.

Today, Rishikesh De, convenor of Barak Democratic Front attempted to tone it down, however, the protest continued. “Our protest is not against Assamese or any other language but it is against imposition. We have noticed that this government, through various ways and means, attempts to impose the Assamese language. This poster is another such attempt and that is why we strongly condemned it,” asserted De.

He added, “Alongside Assamese if the poster carried Bengali and English languages as well, there would have been no problems. 90% of the population won’t be able to read whatever is written on that billboard, so, it is simply a wastage of government money. Why can’t the government add Bengali to the poster? And then placing it at Silchar Railway Station, is this not a direct insult to the language martyrs?”

De was quick to remind that the same Barak Democratic Front opposed when an Assamese Medium School was ordered to get amalgamated with a Bengali medium School. “We wanted that school to exist as a separate entity as it sends across a message of assimilation and at the same time, offers an opportunity to kids who want to study at Assamese medium school,” he said.

The government is yet to make a statement on this issue, but if sources are to be believed, senior leaders in the cabinet have taken cognizance of the chain of events.