Cry for bringing peace in Assam’s BTAD through review of BTC

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,

Guwahati: Slamming the Assam government for failing to protect the innocent people All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) demanded that the state government has no right to be in power. AIUDF also demanded that the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) under the leadership of Hagrama Mohilary should be reviewed for better law and order maintenance.

This came after the killing of four petty businessmen at Labdanguri area in Baksa district under Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) by militants of Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

The victims of BTAD violence in Guwahati seeking assistance from government. [Archival photo]


AIUDF general secretary Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Kashimi said that the state government has failed to protect the Muslims and non-Bodo people in BTAD areas. “So many incidents have taken place where innocent Muslims were killed by armed militants but so action was taken. Time and again we have been appealing the government to take action to stop this but nothing has been done so far. Not even the illegal arms were seized,” said Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Kashimi.

A delegation of AIUDF will meet president Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Rajnath Singh to urge them to intervene in maintain the law and order in the state besides appealing them to review the BTC.

“We appeal the people to maintain peace and harmony. We also want the BTC to be reviewed so that it can be administered in a better way,” he said.

Earlier, All Assam Students’ Union (AAMSU) too has demanded the review of the council.
The BTC is a territorial privilege established according to the Memorandum of Settlement of February 10, 2003. Hagrama Mohilary was sworn in as the Chief Executive Member (CEM) on December 7, 2003.

AAMSU in fact demanded that the BTC under the leadership of Hagrama Mohilary should be dissolved to bring permanent peace. Non-Bodo population, especially the Muslims have been at the receiving end many times of armed conflict in the area. In the month of May more than 45 people belonging to Muslim community were gunned down by armed militants.