By Nurul Islam Laskar, MM News,
GUWAHATI, MAY 8: Addressing a press meet organised by Justice & Equity Demand Samiti (JEDS) Assam at the Guwahati Press Club on Thursday, Prof Abdul Mannan, Secretary JEDS and editor of Assamese monthly ‘Ayna’ presented a brief picture of the happenings that led to the current strife and violence in the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) of Assam.
On April 22, 2014 Chandan Brahma, the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) candidate for the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat, said in a meeting at Hatiputa Village in Chirang District that there would be an ‘earthquake’ in the area if BPF candidate lost the election. Subsequently, in another meeting in BTAD on April 30, another prominent BPF leader Pramila rani Brahma while addressing a post-election review meeting accused the Muslims of BTAD for betraying BPF and voting for a non-Bodo candidate. These were the immediate provocations that sparked off the violent killing, with effect from May 1, 2014, of innocent Muslims living in the area.
On May 1, three persons were gunned down at Narsingbari Village in Baksa District and another two children injured. Dhananjay Nath, reporter of Dainik Janashadharan, was fired at and injured in Kokrajhar. In Sapatgram and Balapara Villages of Gossaigaon, eight people were killed in firing by anti socials. The members of the Minority cell of BJP that visited the area two days ago reported that a BSF patrolling party that was deployed in the area was withdrawn just before the massacre took place.
On May 2, another 20 people were attacked and injured in Narayanguri Village; another three villages were also targeted where 45 houses were burnt down. In one incident, sayad Ali, who had lost his father and brother in the violence of 2012, saw his mother, wife and children being gunned down before his eyes. Today he remains as the lone survivor of the family to tell the gory and tear jerking tale.
On May 3, eight dead bodies were found in Gobardhana Village in Baksa District taking the total death toll to 38. The death toll in the violence had risen to 48 on Thursday as more and more dead bodies were being unearthed in different areas of the strife-torn BTAD.
According to Prof Mannan, involvement of Forest Department personnel in the firing and killing of people has been reported. While the Police have arrested some personnel, the kingpin of the planned murders has not been booked till now because of his close proximity to some important functionaries of BTAD.
Reports published in media state that there are 1,309 licensed and 5,000 illegal arms in the hands of people in BTAD which are often used in the massacre of common people to perpetuate the killings which have been going on in the area since early 90s. There is nothing noticeable or on record to prove that the Government is sincere in addressing this issue.
In context of the above, JEDS and its allies recommended the following:
The Govt should immediately arrest and prosecute persons who made provocative speeches to trigger the recent violence as also those who instigated Govt personnel to take part in the slaughter of innocent persons living in the area.
The CM of Assam has instituted an enquiry by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the matter. But since NIA’s jurisdiction covers acts of terrorists alone, and they have no brief over the acts of politicians, it is in all fitness of things that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be constituted immediately under the stewardship of a retired Supreme Court Judge to inquire into the matter.
Compensation of Rs 10 lakh be given to the next of kin of those killed in the violence and Rs 5 lakh to those injured in the violence.
Adequate family pension be instituted for women widowed in the violence and Govt take the responsibility of bearing the educational expenses of the children orphaned in the violence.
Since providing security to the citizens is the responsibility of the Govt, let the Govt maintain law and order with full authority. The Govt ought to establish police pickets in identified vulnerable areas and impractical proposals such as providing arms to citizens for protecting themselves should be nipped in the bud.
There are more than 10,000 vacancies in the Police Department lying unfilled in the State. The Govt should fill these posts at the earliest on the basis of its own Act formulated in 1994 which proposes filling of the posts proportionately from all districts of the State on the basis of the population pattern of the districts. This would indeed provide for better policing in the State in general and in the affected areas of BTAD in particular.
The process of social assimilation is of utmost importance in which, besides the Govt, the civil society and the media must play a positive role. The issue need not be looked upon as a communal or ethnic divide, but as an issue of human rights. JEDS extended its support for the Assam Governor’s proposal that developmental schemes at the village level in BTAD should be through Village Development Councils so that unwarranted intervention of politicians could be avoided. The Samiti also proposed that the RBI should conduct a special survey to establish new bank branches in the affected areas so that the process of economic development in this backward area could be expedited.
The following personalities extended their support to the fulfilment of the above recommendations and appealed to the people of Assam to maintain peace and harmony in the State at all costs: Prof Monirul Hussain (Gauhati University), Dr Abu Nasar Sayed Ahmed (former Professor, IIT Guwahati), Komoruzzaman Ahmed (Al Ameen Welfare Society), Prof Abdul Salam (retd Vice Principal, Dhing College), Prof Abul Hussain (Associate Professor, Dudhnoi College), Rezina Khatun (retd Associate Professor, Madhya Kamrup College, Baihata), Sherman Ali Ahmed (MLA), and Aminul Islam (MLA). They also expressed appreciation for the media and the civil society for the way the issue has been projected and handled so far that has prevented further escalation of the violence in the area and hoped that this is maintained and strengthened in the days to come.