TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM) has held Assam Government and Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) for the current violence in the state which left scores dead and rendered around four lakh people homeless. However, it categorically said Assam riot 2012 is not Gujarat riot 2002.
“There was a clear failure on the part of BTC and state government in anticipation and control of the situation” which has resulted in over three lakh refugees in around 300 refugee camps in BTC areas and Dhubri, said AIMMM leaders at a press conference here on 4th August after returning from a 4-day fact-finding mission of violence-hit areas of Assam. They said most of the refugees are Muslims.
Mushawarat leaders holding press conference in Delhi on 4th August on their fact-finding mission to Assam
AIMMM president Dr Zafarul Islam Khan ruled out migration as the reason of the recent violence. Whoever the Mushawarat delegation met, Dr Khan said, denied immigration is the reason of the violence. He condemned BJP and RSS for trying to turn it an issue of illegal immigrants.
“Sections of media and chauvinist circles, especially BJP and its ilk, are trying to turn this carnage into an issue of illegal immigrants which is not correct or fair. No one we met in Assam from Government to Bodo to Muslim victims made or supported this claim,” he said.
In the context of large scale violence which made lakhs of people homeless in just three days, when Dr Khan asked if Assam riot 2012 is Gujarat riot 2002, he refused to draw parallels between the two. “For Gujarat riot, state government of Modi was directly responsible. It allowed dead bodies of kar sevaks from Godhra to be brought to Ahmedabad. State government allowed bandh and Modi asked police to let Hindus vent their anger,” said Dr Khan adding nothing like that happened in Assam.
Mushawarat leaders meeting Assam chief minister Tarun Godoi in his office in Guwahati on 3rd August/b>
The delegation of Mushawarat visited Assam during 31 July-3 August 2012 to study and assess the situation in the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) and adjoining areas where over three lakh persons have been displaced, over 50 killed and over a hundred are reported missing as a result of ethnic cleansing aimed at uprooting Muslims from BTC areas.
The delegation, led by Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, President, AIMMM, included Mr Mujtaba Farooq, President of Welfare Party of India, Mr Muhammad Shafi Madni and Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Qasmi, both national secretaries of Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Mr Navaid Hamid, General Secretary of Movemenf for Empowerment of Muslim Indians, Dr Taslim Rahmani, President of Muslim Political Council and Hafiz Rashid Chowdhry, Vice President of AIMMM.
The delegation interacted with many people and groups in Guwahati, BTC areas and Dhubri, visited a number of camps in Cherang and Dhubri areas and met representatives of BTC and Bodos as well as the Chief Minister Mr Tarun Gagoi and Mr Abdul Muhib Mazumder, chairman of Assam State Commission for Minorities.
“Using some criminal incidents in which both Muslims and Bodo were killed, Bodo armed gangs systematically attacked Muslim villages, indulged in at random killings and firings which precipated flight of Muslim villagers who are not armed unlike other ethnic groups in the area,” said Mushawarat.
Talking to pressmen, Dr. Khan said the main reason of this and previous violence in Bodo areas is the power or lack of it to Bodo Territorial Council which consists 30% Bodos and 70% non-Bodos. Bodos and their armed groups want to push out non-Bodos from the BTC areas. He informed that about 10 petitions are pending in the High Court regarding authority and power of BTC. Another big reason of the violence, he pointed out, is the illegal arms available with Bodos and tribal groups except minorities.
“The delegation feels that the current violence is clearly a continuation of Bodo chauvinist attempts to expel the non-Bodo majority from the “Bodoland”. This is made possible by vast amouts of illegal arms in the hands of Bodo and non-Bodo individuals and gangs while Muslims in particular are not known to keep illegal arms.”
State government is providing some ration while a lot of other needs, especially heigine, are neglected. Inmates in camps told the delegation that they are eager to return to their villages provided security is provided to them. A former MLA of the affected area told the delegation that it is “a sin to be born Muslim in Assam”. The delegation saw that even the camps are without security and found that one of the camps it visited is not getting even ration aid. The delegation was told that one person had died in Tilwara camp due to hunger.
Mushawarat president Dr Zafarul Islam Khan and NIC member Navaid Hamid talking to Bodo leader Biswajit Daimarym (MP, Rajya Sabha) at Kokrajhar on 2 August 2012
The delegation met Bodo and BTC leadership and was able to meet in Kokrajhar town Bodo MP (Rajya Sabha) Biswajit Daimary and Daneswar Goyori, member of the legislative assembly of BTC. They put the blame squarely at the door of armed gangs which the BTC is not able to control because home department and Police are controlled by the state government and not by the BTC, they said. They stressed the tradition of good relations between Muslims and Bodos and said that the area depends on Muslim workers and labour, hence its progress will suffer badly if Muslims do not return quickly to their homes. They agreed that displaced people should be able to return quickly to their homes but stressed that security must be provided to make this possible, permanent police pickets should be placed at sensitive areas and numbers of police stations must be increased as the area is undercovered by police.
The delegation met Chief Minister Mr Tarun Gagoi who explained the practical problems in providing security in a state suffering from various armed movements and insurgencies, and said that arms are flooding into Assam from China and Nagaland. He assured the delegation that he is keen to secure an early repatriation of the displaced people to their homes and said that he has designated 15 August at the deadline for achieving this aim. He said that security will be provided, permanent CRPF pickets will be placed at sensitive places within days as troops are being recalled from the neighbouring states of Manipur, Nagaland and Bihar for this purpose. Mr Gogoi emphatically denied that there are “foreigners” in Assam and stressed that the present crisis is a local one triggered by local issues. He told the delegation that about a hundred culprits have already been arrested.
Addressing the press, Dr Tasleem Rahmani, member of the delegation and president, Muslim Political Council of India said BTC and state government of Congress are trying to throw blame on each other for the violence. He said BTC wants more power and they are facilitating such violence only to pressure on the government.
Mushawarat leaders meeting riot victims in Assam
Going one step ahead, he challenged the Bodo accord of 1993 which created BTC. “On whose mandate this accord was signed,” he asked and indirectly held the accord and BTC responsible for the regular violence against minorities in Assam.
Maulana Rafique Qasmi, secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, stressed on the educational empowerment of the local Muslims. He said that while Muslim religious leaders of the country have been regularly visiting the areas but did little for both religious and modern education of the people.
Navaid Hamid, member, National Integration Council, who was also member of the delegation, categorically said the violence was not an accident, rather it was a planned one. “In three days and four nights, over four lakh people are rendered homeless, this cannot be accident but through a planned conspiracy. He held Bodo leaders and state government responsible for the attacks on Muslims in the state.
He demanded the central government to rehabilitate the victims through central schemes of NREGA and IAY. On relief package he said: “The centre should ask the state government to accept Sikh riot package as a benchmark and provide same relief measures to the victims of current violence.”
Welfare Party president Mujtaba Farooque with riot victims in Assam
Mohd. Shafi Madani, another member of the delegation and secretary of Jamaat Islami stressed on Bodo-Muslim dialogues. “For the deteriorating situation, only Bodos cannot be made responsible. Muslims must come out to establish relations with Bodos,” said Madani and announced Jamaat will work on this front.
Mushawarat have demanded quick compensation and rehabilitation of the victims, setting up of a judicial commission to look into the causes of the violence and punish the culprits.
Demands
–Adequate compensation to all affected, for lost lives, injuries and damage to houses to enable the victims to rebuild their homes and lives;
–Quick rehabilitation of all displaced people by arranging their speedy return to their original places. Any delay will only mean that the displaced will never be able/allowed to return to their homes and lands. It is a known fact that victims of similar previous violence, e.g., in 1994, are still languishing in refugee camps while their lands and homes were usurped by Bodo chauvinists.
–Victims in the camps are ready to return to their homes and lands provided security is ensured. BTC representatives too said that they have no problem with the return of the displaced people provided their security is safeguarded. Since this is the responsibility of the state government, it should ensure this at the earliest in addition to provision of more police stations and forces in the BTC areas.
–Illegal arms in the hands of private individuals and gangs is a big problem in BTC areas. Meticulous mopping by the army and security forces of the homes and other installations, offices and facilities in the BTC areas should be conducted at the earliest in order to seize all illegal arms because these illegal arms are being used freely by outlaws to inflict such savagery and pain on their neighbours.
–Institution of a high level judicial enquiry to find the causes of the violence leading to displacement and murder of such large number of people in BTC areas, and punishment of the guilty.
Assam riot 2012 victims
Assam riot 2012 victims
Assam riot 2012 victims