Seething with anger the banned United Liberation Front of Asom has called for a 12-hour dawn to dusk Assam bandh on Tuesday for demanding the release of human rights activist and chief convenor of the ULFA-constituted People's Consultative Group Lachit Bardoloi.

Bardoloi was arrested by the Assam police on charges of maintaining close links with the banned militant group.

The bandh is also called for registering protests against 'fake encounter' killings of 'ULFA members and 'innocent people' by security forces in Assam.

In a statement e-mailed to the media, the ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa called upon all sections of the people including intellectuals to support the bandh call 'for the sake of protection of human rights and democracy' in the state.

The ULFA chairman alleged that Assam police had 'wrongly implicated'  Bardoloi with 'fabricated charges' of being part of a conspiracy for plane hijacking, supplying arms to ULFA and providing shelter to ULFA cadres.

The ULFA chairman termed the arrest of Bardoloi, who it termed a staunch supporter democratic values, a sharp violation of democratic values in Assam.

The ULFA chairman also condemned killings of ULFA cadres and even innocent people in 'fake encounters' by the security forces in violation of human rights in the state.

The human rights activist and adviser of Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity, was arrested by Assam police seven days back and is now in police custody after a Guwahati court extended his police remand by another two days on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the ongoing crackdown on ULFA would continue in the state.

Gogoi, in reaction to the ULFA calling for a bandh demanding release of arrested human rights activist, said that it only gave credence to Assam police claim that he had been maintaining 'direct links; with the proscribed militant group.'