ABHIMANU IAS SPEAKS

EHTNIC CONFLICT IN WESTERN ASSAM

•  Assam has seen riots between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims a number of times. Altogether 113 people died when they fought in Kokrajhar in 1994, while 64 were killed in Udalguri in 2008. The latest round of violence has so far cost 79 lives.

 WHO ARE THE BODOS? 

•  Bodos are the earliest settlers of Assam belonging to the Bodo-Kachari family. They are found in areas stretching from eastern Nepal to Assam and the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.
• In Assam, they live mostly in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Baksa, Barpeta, Kamrup, Darrang, Udalguri and Sonitpur.
• Their estimated number in Assam is more than 15 lakh; over 90% of them are Hindus. 

 CHIEF REASONS BEHIND RIVALRY B/W BODOS & MUSLIMS:

• The tussle over control of land is attributed as the main cause of enmity.

• Bodos say most Muslim settlers are illegal migrants from Bangladesh. On the other hand, Muslims claim that Bodos are not in a majority in the region which is enough ground for the dissolution of the BTC. They complain that BTC provisions make it difficult for non-tribals to buy land there.

 BODOLAND TERRITORIAL COUNCIL (BTC):

• In 1988, Bodos started a violent campaign for a separate state with the slogan "Divide Assam 50-50". Some of them took up arms and founded outfits like the Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland with their bases in Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• After a series of talks with the Centre and the Assam government, BLT fighters headed by Hagrama Mohilary agreed to accept autonomy under the concept of a-state-within-a-state on February 10, 2003. This paved the way for the formation of the Bodoland Territorial Council comprising Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri districts. 

 STATUS OF ASSAM ACCORD VIS-À-VIS INFILTRATION PROBLEM:

• Signed between the Centre and Assam leaders in 1985.
• Main clauses of the agreement were:

1. Detection and deportation of illegal migrants
2. Update of the National Register of Citizens
3. Erection of a border fence between India and Bangladesh.

• The government has found it difficult to detect and deport infiltrators because of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983, and Bangladesh's persistent refusal to acknowledge the presence of its citizens in India. 
• NRC up gradation faces strong resistance from the minorities. Most of the NE's borders with Bangladesh are yet to be fenced. The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, which was scrapped by the Supreme Court in 2005, put the onus to prove whether one is a non-national on the police or complainants.