Assam Riots: Clashes between Bodos and Bangladesh Migrants Rocked the Entire Indian Republic

           Map of India 

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© Harish Jharia

Assam is an Indian state situated on the other side of Bangladesh.  Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan is situated at the eastern side of India, between the Himalayas in the north and the Bay of Bengal in its south. There is narrow passage at the northern tip of Bangladesh under West Bengal and Sikkim states for the Indian people to commute between Assam and the rest of India. 

The formation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was one of the biggest blunders committed by India at the time of seeking independence from the British rule. We agreed for the formation of East and West Pakistan situated on two ends of Indian republic. This happened, when British India was divided into many countries like India, East Pakistan, West Pakistan, Burma, other Far East countries, Sri Lanka etc rather than constituting a United States of India (USI) like UK, USA, UAE, USSR etc. 

The arbitrary division of British India has left the independent India with many inherent international problems in this region. The worst suffer of this fragmentation of this British colony was the Indian republic. India has been suffering from border disputes, with Pakistan and Bangladesh, fought many wars and still living under constant threats extremism and terrorism. 

Indian government always had a soft corner for Bangladesh, because, Bangladesh was formed with the help of Indian army. India fought a fierce war with Pakistan for the liberation of East Pakistan until they surrendered themselves to Indian Army. The reign of power was then handed over to the leaders of Bangladesh. 

Ever since, the borders between India and Bangladesh remained extremely porous and homeless Bangladeshi people used to walk across into Indian territories with almost no interference. India being more developed and peaceful country, as compared to Bangladesh, there has been an incessant influx of illegal migrants, from Bangladesh in search of jobs and better living conditions in India. 

The illegal migrants include Bengali Hindus as well as Bengali Muslims who crossover to Indian Territory into adjacent Indian states Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and west Bengal and from here they also spread into other states of India. 

It is reported in the media that most of the Bangladeshi migrants have been issued voter ID cards and thereby declared as citizens of India. Media also believe that this action taken by the respective state governments were politically motivated for consolidating vote bank and establishing vote base. 

In nineteen seventies All Assam Students Union (AASU) launched a six-year-long Assam Agitation against illegal infiltration of foreigners from Bangladesh into Assam. This movement eventually ended in Assam Accord in the year 1985 and emergence of a political party ‘Asom Gana Parishad’ under the leadership of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Subsequently Asom Gana Parishad won election and formed the state government also. 

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In the year 1996 Bodo Liberation Tigers Force (BLTF), also called Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), was formed in the Bodo dominated regions of Assam. They demanded a separate state for Bodos to be carved out of Assam. The BLT organization came into being under the leadership of Prem Singh Brahma. Bodo movement eventually ended with formation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in a tripartite agreement between Government of India, Government of Assam and BTC. 

In all Assam has been reeling under constant unrest because of ethnic, linguistic, regional and religious conflicts. This prolonged unrest eventually erupted into violent clashes between indigenous Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslims. It is reported in the media that various fundamentalist organizations in India and Pakistan provoked the people of Assam that resulted in the outbreak of violence in Assam.   

The intelligence and the security establishment working under the state government of Assam and the Indian government have miserably failed in anticipating the riots in the states. There have been delays also in deployment of troops in the affected areas. 

The following points come to my mind in respect of the outbreak of violent riots in Assam: 

1. Ethnic, religious and linguistic unrest was already there in Assam and the tensed relations between the two had become a default condition under which both the communities learned to live. 
2. The sudden outbreak of violence was the result of provocation from fundamentalist outfits functioning in Pakistan and in various states of India.
3. Such violence was not possible without the involvements of Indian fundamentalists who keep creating communal unrest and implementing terrorist activities in India. 
4. Indian politicians repeatedly call Muslims as minority community rather than calling them Indians. Such political belief has developed insecurity in Muslims and as a result of the same they assemble in huge crowds on such provocations and scary rumors. 
5. Indian politicians have also made it a habit of calling Hindus and Hindu organizations as ‘communal forces’. Such baseless allegations create yet more fear psychosis in the minds of Indian Muslims, obviously because Hindu population in India is in majority.
6. Politicians, more precisely the Hindu politicians should stop calling Muslims as minority and Hindus as communal forces. 
7. The state governments and union government of India should catch hold of the Indian fundamentalist outfits actively functioning on the Indian soil, rather than raising outcry of involvement of Pakistani fundamentalists and ISI. 
8. ISI or the terrorist organizations based in Pakistan cannot implement their action plans without active involvement of Indian citizens. 
9. Indian governments should pinpoint fundamental groups, terrorist outfits and separatist organizations in India and eliminate them.
10. Human rights bodies and other welfare organizations in India should not rush for the rescue of fundamentalists, terrorists and separatists who are arrested by the law enforcement authorities and booked for their crimes. 
11. The media should also project the activities of indigenous fundamentalist organizations rather than making hue and cry about Pakistan and ISI.
12. If Pakistan and ISI are behind such riots that can be dealt-with separately by the Ministry of foreign affairs. 
13. The law enforcement organizations, security forces and armed forces should concentrate on the fundamentalists, terrorists and separatists implementing antinational action plans under their nose and right on the Indian soil. 
14. Forget about Pakistan… take care of the enemies openly working in India. 

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Disclaimer:
This article is written based on my personal observations and on the information collected from the media. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on professional or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia

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