By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: Even as they lodged a unique protest by shaving off their heads after the latest killings in three districts, minority students under the aegis of the All Bodoland Territorial Council Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) have sought lasting peace in Assam on the eve of the New Year.
Members of the students’ body representing the minorities in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) on Wednesday shaved off their heads to protest the killing of more than 70 people by the militants loyal to the Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the general lawlessness in the state.
An Adivasi woman breaks down in a relief camp in Kokrajhar district
In the latest spurt of violence, as many as 78 Adivasis were killed by the militants in three districts of Assam. The violence has also left thousands of others displaced.
“We are tired of staging protests and appealing the government to control the situation in Assam and especially in the BTAD. Nothing has been done so far to improve the situation. Innocent people are getting killed time and again at the hands of terrorists. We condemn the recent killing of innocent Adivasi people and appeal for peace with the intervention of central government,” said ABMSU president Sahabuddin Ali Ahmed.
The students, who staged protest in front of the Raj Bhawan, also demanded capital punishment for Songbijit, suspected to be behind the recent killings and in earlier ones as well.
A family of Adivasi returns back to their home on Wednesday from a relief camp in Kokrajhar district
Demand operations along the Indo-Bhutan border, the students urged (the government) to finish all the militants of NDF to bring back peace and harmony in the BTAD. “The availability of illegal arms is one of the prime reasons why peace is a distant dream for the people living in the area. Extortion and kidnapping is going along with the killings equally,” Ali Ahmed said.
“Only finishing the militants and hanging their leader would bring normalcy to the region. We want to live in peace and want to see development for the welfare of everyone. We don’t want any more bloodshed,” he said.
According to the state government officials, situation in Sonitpur and BTAD is returning to normalcy with no incidents of fresh violence reported from any part of the state in the last five days.
As on today, approximately 2,70,370 persons are living in 135 relief camps in four districts viz Kokrajhar, Chirang, Sonitpur and Udalguri. In Kokrajhar district, there are approximately 2,22,802 inmates living in 91 relief camps, in Chirang 33,846 inmates are staying in 25 relief camps, another 9,862 inmates are staying in 10 relief camps in Sonitpur and in Udalguri, 3,860 inmates are in nine relief camps, according to P K Tiwari, chief executive officer of Assam State Disaster Management Authority.
Additional forces deployed in the affected districts have set up pickets/ barracks in the vulnerable areas of the violence-hit districts. Curfew has been lifted completely in Sonitpur district but night curfew continues at some places of other districts as a precautionary measure.
Activists of All BTC Minority Students’ Union state protest by shaving their heads off in Guwahati
Assam government has declared payment of ex-gratia grants to the families of the deceased. Accordingly, Rs 5 lakh will be paid to the next of kin of deceased persons above 18 years of age and Rs 3 lakh to next of kin of killed persons below 18 years.
In addition, the central government has declared Rs 2 lakh to next of kin of deceased persons and Rs 50 thousand to seriously injured persons in the violence from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. A total of 76 police cases have so far been registered in connection with these incidents of violence.
Meanwhile, chief minister Tarun Gogoi has requested the Centre for additional security forces and other logistic support for controlling and resolution of the situation.