New dimensions of Assam militancy-Militants killed 23 Muslims in Bodoland-Assam

Vinay Joshi

  

   In a shocking incidence suspected tribal militant outfit NDFB shot dead 23 Muslims including women, children out of which few are infants in the Kokrajhar district of Bodoland-Assam.

   Primarily the incidence is militant attack, but the hidden meaning of the attack is more shocking. Superficially this incidence is just one more militant strike in about 25 year's history of militancy in Assam, but actually it is the beginning of new battle between indigenous people of Assam and Muslim migrants-majority of Bangladeshi origin. The ruling Congress government and former AGP government both never tried to answer the problem of insurgency in Assam in sincere and classical manner, and just exploited the issue to harvest the votes of Muslims by Congress and indigenous people by AGP.

    The lackadaisical approach of successive governments in solving the issue of illegal Bangaladeshi infiltrators has created sense of anger, frustration and resentment among indigenous tribal people of Assam. The same feelings exploded two years ago when massive riots broke out in autonomous BTC area of Bodoland killing more than 80 people from both sides.

    Traditionally no militant outfit ever targeted migrant Muslims fearing military action by Bangladeshi government against militant training camps running in Bangladeshi territory. Also militants groups never uttered a single word opposing or condemning Bangladeshi infiltrators. On the contrary various militant outfits used to warn and condemn the statements issued by RSS and its affiliate organisations whenever these organisations raised the issue of illegal Bangladeshis.

Fallouts of Lebensraum

Bangladesh is struggling to feed its population as there is widening gap between domestic rice production and actual need of the country. The appalling infrastructure, huge and ever growing population, religious fanaticism and political instability has inflicted huge damage to Bangladesh. On the other hand porous Indian border and vote hungry Indian politics encouraged and facilitated Bangladeshi infiltration. Gradually N-E India, especially Assam’s about 6 district Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara, Hailakandi,  Karimganj and Nagao and West Bengal’s border districts became Muslim  majority districts, replacing indigenous population. Journalist and intellectuals in India pleaded for Bangladeshis referring humanitarian angle of Bangladeshi infiltration. But those at receiving end were tribal people of Assam, who were fast losing their traditional fertile lands to infiltrators causing social tensions. While ensuring Bangladeshis their Lebensraum indigenous tribal were forced to leave their farm lands to Bangladeshis causing retaliation by locals. But Congress state government always stood firmly by the Bangladeshis fearing damage to strong Muslim vote bank, and poor tribal could only helplessly see the developments. They were not in a position to fight back, but were hunting for a way to tackle the issue.

Growing pressure on militant groups

  The gradual pressure of local tribal become unbearable for militant groups, as militant groups are always dependent on locals for food and shelter, and they felt it necessary to respond to the issue of Bangladeshi migrants. During 2012 Bodoland riots, for the first time there were incidences of active participation of armed militants fighting against Muslim migrants. But during the riots it was not possible to segregate local tribal and militant. But Muslim groups publically claimed after 2012 riots that militants were involved in rioting with sophisticated weapons in hand. Also when Assam government tried to re-establish refugees after the riots, Muslims complained the threat of armed militants as hurdle in getting resettled at their original places.

    After 2012 riots the tribal-Muslim divide widen beyond imagination and there was calls for economic boycott of Miyas – a term used by local Assamese to call Muslims. There was clear division among militant cadres on the issue of Bangladeshi issue. And public pressure was mounting to find out armed solution to the problem of infiltration as democratic option was not effective in Assam due to huge Muslim vote bank. There were incidences of killing of militant cadres by Muslim villagers in BTC area, which put up Muslims and Militants into eyeball to eyeball confrontation with each other.

        If the Assam government carelessly handles the issue of killing the Muslims, then there would be 2012 like situation in Bodoland once again. Assam Minister Siddique Ahmed blamed in a public statement that BPF- a Bodo political party is responsible for killing is most irresponsible statement which may spread the violence in whole BTC governed area. The minister and the government must ensure the separation of common Bodos from militants to calm down the situation, but the Minister is blaming the BPF and indirectly whole Bodo society for violence, which may draw a clear line between Bodos and Muslims, creating worst situation than 2012. This statement might be intended to lure traditional Muslim voters for Congress and may give it a political mileage, but it may backfire if the minister and the government directly blame Bodos.

   It is suicidal to ignore the core issue of Bangladeshi infiltration and to blame indigenous people for violence.