By Abdul Gani, TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: All Bodoland Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) on Tuesday demanded a high level inquiry into the violence in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) which rocked the entire Assam in 2012 expressing its dissatisfaction over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry report. The students’ body also urged upon the state government to take immediate measures to rehabilitate the 6000 odd families who are still in a deplorable state at various relief camps.
Taking out a huge a protest rally in Guwahati of around 2000 people who are stating in various relief camps on Tuesday, they also handed over a memorandum to the governor of Assam.
ABMSU activists during their protest in front of Raj Bhavan in Guwahati on Tuesday.
“We have serious doubts in the credibility of CBI as it has been proved that they work in the favour of the ruling government in the recent past. Their report seems to be not neutral so we demand a high level inquiry to be instituted to nab the real culprits,” said ABMSU president Sahabuddin Ali Ahmed after submitting the memorandum to the governor.
The top investigating agency has chargesheeted 37 people in connection with the killing of four youths on July 20 at Joypur in Kokrajhar that triggered the violence, killing over 100 people and rendering over 4.5 lakh people homeless in Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Chirang districts.
Moinul Haque, former president of the ABMSU and his brother Mohibul Islam alias Ratul, a former constable who was earlier arrested in a murder case, were said to be the masterminds behind the killings.
ABMSU also alleged that the ruling government along with the BTAD authority has conspired to evict away all the people belonging to the minority community even though they have been staying there for a long time.
“The group of ministers along with the BTAD administration has hatched a new conspiracy to drive away the Muslim peasants living in the khas land for several decades. According to the latest joint resolution of them, these peasants will be provided Rs.50, 000 if they sign a bond that they will leave their land. And the helpless poverty-stricken peasants are signing this bond,” he added.
In Gossaigaon sub-division there are some 3,000 such families and in Kokrajhar sub-division the amount of such families are some 4,000.
“Once they sign the bond, they will have to leave BTAD as they will have no right to buy land there,” he further said. It was decided in a meeting took place recently took place between Group of Ministers (GoM) and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary. Assam Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Prithvi Majhi and transport minister Chandan Brahma were also present in the meeting.
The students’ body has also vowed to continue the agitation if the state government does not pay heed to them and take immediate measures.
[Photos by: Surajit Sharma]