The banned United Liberation Front of Asom and 3 other militant outfits have called for a boycott of the Independence day celebrations and declared a general strike on August 15.

Along with the ULFA, the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, Manipur People's Liberation Front and the Tripura People's Democratic Front have also called for a boycott and general strike.
    
In a joint statement e-mailed to the local media in Guwahati on Wednesday night, the militant outfits urged the people of the North East to stay away from the celebrations and observe the strike.

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The general strike would begin at 1 am and be observed till 5.30 pm on August 15, the statement  added.

The militant outfit Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front had earlier announced that it would observe a 24-hour bandh on the occasion of Independence Day and mark it as 'Black Day' in the twin hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills.

The bandh would begin at 5 pm on August 14 and end on the evening of the Independence day.

Meanwhile, ULFA violence in the run-up to Independence day continued unabated with the gunning down of a tea garden manager in Assam's Tinsukia district, police said on Friday.

Two ULFA militants stormed into the manager's residence and shot him at Rongmola Tea Estate in Brahmapur under Pengeri police station of the district on Wednesday night.

The Manager, Suresh Limbu, was rushed to the Indian Oil Corporation [Get Quote] hospital at Digboi where he was declared brought dead. Meanwhile, security throughout the state has been tightened following a series of blasts triggered by the banned outfit ahead of Independence day.

Patrolling has been intensified and additional security checking has started in sensitive areas. Security in and around vital installations like oil and gas pipelines, power houses, transmission towers, electric poles and railway tracks has been beefed up, sources said.

The Assam legislative assembly has adopted a resolution appealing to the ULFA to shun violence and also urged the Centre to expedite negotiations with the banned outfit for lasting peace in the state.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told the assembly on Wednesday evening that the state government was not directly involved in the talks but was committed to ushering in lasting peace.