By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: A delegation of Sonmilito Jonogosthiyo Oikyo Mancho, Assam (United Forum of Ethnic Groups), representing 20 non-government organizations and civil society groups organised a discussion on the continued violence in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) of Assam. The discussion was held at the ANAHD office in Delhi.
“We are all have come from the ethnic terror struck Lower Assam to apprise the latest situation there in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts(BTAD), and to urge your kind intervention to have a permanent solution to the decades long problems of ethnic violence generated by the Bodo terrorism,” a joint-statement said.
They reiterated that without social harmony, a government cannot run any of its welfare programmes for the people.
The seemed to blame the “wrong policies” of the successive Congress governments, as also the “big brotherly attitudes of a section of caste-Hindu Assamese ruling class,” that have created a dire situation.
“The identity movements of all the tribes in the North-East have gathered their momentum with sectarian and aggressive designs. The movement for autonomy with the separatists’ slogan of Divide Assam 50-50 organised by Bodos in present day Assam is the instance of the above kind,” they later said.
From the very beginning Bodo movement for autonomy has been a violent one, they pointed out.
In this context it is to be noted here that, the Bhupinder Singh committee appointed by the GOI in 1990 rejected any kind of Bodoland territory, i.e. BAC or BTC or Bodoland state . Even, the then Chief Minister of Assam, late Hiteshwar Saikia himself asserted that stand. He said, “I made it clear that Bodo dominated areas of Lower Assam are not contiguous. So, if non-Bodo areas were to be included in BAC (Bodoland Autonomous Council) Area for the sake of contiguity, the consent of the non-Bodos would have to be obtained. But Mr. Pilot did not listen to me and he said that the draft had the blessings of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao”(The Frontline, 26th August, 1994).
Giving details and background to the creation of BTC, speakers also appraised about continued violence in the region.
“Though the turmoil in BTAD, Assam should be handled with strict administrative measures, it will not be so much productive and the permanent solution to the ethnic tangle there would not be possible without taking corrective measures to undo the great mistakes committed by the previous governments in the name of granting territorial autonomy under Sixth schedule of Indian constitution,” they reiterated.
They also sought to draw attention to the troubles faced by the linguistic and religious minorities in BTAD and in Assam in the name of detection of foreigners and ‘D’ voters. They reminded that the forum is a “democratic and patriotic platform of all the ethnicities of Assam” who are “opposed to the presence of illegal foreigners,” but they also criticized “the idea of detecting foreigners on the basis of religious consideration.”
The United Forum represents Sanmilita Janagoshthiyo Oikya Mancha, a united forum of twenty one organisations viz. All Koch-Rajbangshi Students Union, All BTC Minority Students’ Union, All Assam Minority Students’ Union, All BTC Bengali Youth-Students Federation, All Assam Bengali-youth Students Federation, Sanmilita Janagoshthiyo Sangram Samiti, O-Boro Suraksha Samiti, All Assam Koch-Rajbangshi Sanmilani, Koch-Rajbongshi Mahila Samiti, ,Chilarai Sena, Citizens Justice Forum, Sachetan Ganamancha, Nyay Dabi Samiti, Nath-Yogi Students Union, Sodou Assam Kalita Sanmilani, Muslim Yuva Parishad, Santras Birodhi Gana Mancha, Sanjukta Sankhyalughu Yuva Parishad, Adivashi Sachetan Gana Mancha and O-BodoYuva-Chatra Mancha.
The joint forum also put forward their 20 demands:
1. Reviewing the BTC accord and Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Act-2003, to preserve constitutional rights of Non-Bodo People and to exclude the non-Bodo majority villages from the BTAD. Ascertain the security of life and properties of the people in BTAD. If necessary create a permanent post of central security forces at all the sensitive places proposed by the affected people.
2. Full-fledged combing operation for the recovery of all the illegal arms in BTAD areas.
3. Cadres of the terrorist outfit NDFB on ceasefire should strictly be confined to designated camps.
4. High level enquiry into the massacres of Narayanguri, Narsinghbari and Balapara. Police and administration involved in inaction should also be brought under the high level enquiry.
5. CBI enquiry into the murder of Manoj Das at Musalpur.
6. Rescue of the missing (suspected to be kidnapped) persons.
7. Unconditional rehabilitation of all the displaced persons, granting of compensations as per international guidelines to the victims of ethnic cleansing started since 1989. Adequate compensation to the victims of violence in B.T.A.D. should be granted at par the compensation paid to the Sikh victims of Delhi riots in 1984 and Gujarat riot-2002.
8. White paper on the situation created by the Bodo movement.
9. Scheduling of Koch-Rajbongshis and Adivasis.
10. Solutions to the D voters problem.
11. Stop the violation of human rights of religious and linguistic minorities in the name of D voters.
12. Complete the preparation of NRC.
13. To ensure, land rights, rights to residence and other legal and constitutional rights of the non-Bodo people of B.T.A.D. areas as per clause 4.3 (a), 4.3(b) of the B.T.C. accord and relevant provision of Indian Constitution.
14. Rehabilitation of victims of violence in the present B.T.A.D. areas from 1987 till date should be made as per clause 13 of B.T.C. accord, rehabilitating all displaced Koch-Rajbongshi, indigenous Assamese Hindu, Nath-Yogi, Adivasi, Nepali and Muslim communities.
15. To stop movement of all terrorist forces and arms deals in B.T.A.D. areas and cases of extortion of money collected from different communities.
17. To ensure appointment in Government job at least one person from each victim’s family of the recent violence. If no suitable candidate is available, pay monthly pension to such families.
18. To find a permanent solution to the foreigners issue in Assam, India – Bangladesh, and India – Bhutan border must be sealed within 1 year and all river routes to be patrolled to stop all kinds of infiltration.
19. To prepare national register of citizens (NRC) on the basis of documents of persons residing in Assam taking 25th March 1971 as base year and issue photo identity cards to such citizen.
20. To establish a permanent cell of National Human Rights Commission in BTAD Assam.