By Dr Shahnoor Rahman, MM News,
GUWAHATI, MAY 6: A section of people, because of their identity as Muslims who had once upon a time migrated to fertile river valleys of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries under command of ruling British Government in undivided India when division of India had not even been thought of. They have been working day and night to make Assam fertile and rich, and to feed its people with vegetables and cereals which has made the State self-sufficient in food production and cheap labour.
To continue to keep them at a downgraded status is the aim of the ruling disposition, and thus they have been denied of their right to education, health, land patta, and everything that can empower them, right from the days of the British Government. So they continue to be overwhelmingly illiterate and one of the poorest sections of the Assamese society who have been continuously harassed by labelling them as illegal Bangladeshis, who are being blamed for invading the lands and culture of the so called ‘indigenous’ Assamese and tribal people of the land. No one appears to bother about the thoughts and aspirations of this deprived ‘Muslim’ community.
Repeated Armed violence and massacres upon the Muslims and other non-Bodo communities in remotest pockets of present area of the Bodoland Territorial Area Council (BTAD) by unknown gunmen has become a regular feature. It has been taking place regularly ever since independence. And this is taking place with full direct and indirect support from notorious local political administration in the form of provocative speeches before and after every planned genocide of innocent Muslims.
All this is a reflection of the fact that these deprived sections of people have lost their right to live in Assam. When these innocent Muslims are being slaughtered and shot in broad daylight in BTAD, rather than rehabilitating them with adequate compensation, they are being mocked with rejoicing over ‘death to Bangladeshis’. Even no investigations are carried out to apprehend the culprits. No protective measures are being taken to end this planned and oft repeated genocide.
This time, these unfortunate Muslim people are being lynched on the suspicion that they are responsible for the probable and expected defeat of the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha candidate of the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) party. Pramila Rani Brahma, a former Minister of Assam and Bodo leader, dared to say that if BPF loses the election than it would be because of the fact that Muslims did not voted for BPF. This utterance of the former Minister came just a day before the start of this planned massacre by unidentified gunmen that resulted in the death of 37 Muslims.
Chandan Brahma, Transport Minister of Assam and the present Lok Sabha candidate, even dared to say that there would be an earthquake if BPF did not win the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat this time.
Ruling Congress Govt, an ally of BPF, rather than taking any strict action against mis-governance of BPF over the BTAD, had been acting as a silent spectator at the ongoing massacres in BTAD worried that BPF might league with BJP in case they find reason to part with Congress. Even police stations don’t accept FIRs from Muslims. Finding no way out, they flee their homes and head somewhere towards the cities or neighbouring Dhubri and Barpeta Districts looking forward to safety and security, where at least they can live like human beings.
This is corroborated by the negative growth rate of Muslims in many areas of BTAD up to 49 per cent and increase of overall Muslim voters’ percentage by more than 5 per cent in Dhubri and Barpeta Districts. In 2012, BTAD violence killed 109 Muslims and made over 10 lakh Muslims displaced from their dwellings, most of whom have dared not return to their native land till now.
It is very much clear that BPF party and armed Bodos’ liberation forces want to increase the Bodo population from the present 27 per cent in BTAD to at least 51 per cent to fulfil the criteria for separate ‘statehood’ and this can be done only by deporting all non-Bodos out from BTAD by creating an atmosphere of terror and insecurity. This could be best achieved carrying out planned genocides from time to time. To make it possible, poor illiterate Muslims mainly children and women become the soft target as they are always voiceless and ignored in eyes of ruling State or Union Government and the media.
Ruling Congress Govt in Assam never took any serious action against the mis-governance of BPF as they fear that BPF might take a u-turn from them and join either AGP or BJP which could make the latter stronger to the extent that it could be sufficiently strong for coming to power in the State. This attitude of Congress is enough incentive for BPF to do anything they like be it promotion of violence or deprivation of rights of the majority non-Bodo population of the BTAD area.
Mass awakening of all people of India in support of the poor Muslims and other non-Bodo communities of BTAD is the need of the hour. The State and Central Government must be pressurised to deal with justice, for rehabilitation of victims and prevention of recurrence of such heinous genocides in future. Investigations to unearth its relationship with the ruling local administration and State Government must be carried out, in relation to ground reality, by CBI, SIT, and NIA. Mass patrolling and armed operations must be carried out by the police, paramilitary and if required even by the Army to seize and destroy all arms and militant hideouts. Monitoring of all areas in question will have to be undertaken to find traces of violence through surveillance system.
Last but not the least, we must take a vow to ensure that let none of our countrymen dies of armed violence for his or her belonging to a particular religion, ethnic group or linguistic community. Every Indian has the right to live a dignified and secure life, and this must be provided for.
Informative & reality base column written by Dr. Shahnoor Rahman. Central Government & particularly State government should make sure to protect poor people of Assamies regardless of religions otherwise they (Congress) have no right to run state government.
It is very good article by Dr. Sahanoor Rahman and I fully appreciate to read this
Nicely written…appropriate lines
“Game of Percentage” Mr. Rahman, it is fact that there are people of diverse tribes, communities living in the BTAD, nothing new in that. But accusing Bodos as involving in the process of ethnic cleansing is an imagination, beyond your imagination. It is noteworthy for your understanding that the BTAD comprises of villages of the tribal belts and blocks notified in the Chapter X of Assam land and revenue regulation, (1886 ALRR. In the exercise of powers conferred on it under section 160 and 161 of ALRR, the Govt. of Assam created as back as 1947-1948, Tribal belts and Tribal blocks and notified the people belonging to the various Assamese communities viz. Bodo-kacharis, Rabha, Lalung (Tiwa), Sonowal, Mishing,Santhals, Rajbansis, and other some communities like Nepali Graziers and, making them eligible to reside in such belts and blocks. These belts and blocks were created on the basis of the predominant tribal population. Considering the above fact, if you now alleged Bodos’ involvement in the process of ethnic cleansing in BTAD, you are then still living in the world of illusion. If you are alleging Bodos for only being about 32% of the BTAD population, you also need to answer why tribal Bodos have become minority in their own land. You need to, thus, think that if the tribal population of tribe like Bodos in BTAD which mainly comprises tribal belts and blocks, has been reduced to less than 50%, it would be manifest and revealing that there has been encroachment of non-notified people in the villages situated within tribal belts and Blocks, of which the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh comprise dominant proportion. Every responsible citizens of the country know the brains behind, who preplanned the violence in the BTAD. You cannot ignore the genesis of the violence, how the killing of four Bodo youths perpetuated the violence in the western Assam. Now the CBI has summarized in its report to be produced in the court the involvement of the Islamic Radicals’ motive to create Islamthan with Guwahati as the headquater and indicated t
Why don’t you mention about the right and privileges of native helpless tribal people!? You believed only in overwhelming and make other die. Why don’t you mention about the rape of our tribal women, minor girls, by your Muslim miscreants. Every year near about 20-25 case of rape of local tribal woman by Muslims occurs . And now this types of rape, persecution in our own land is growing rapidly in our tribal belt area. Laks and laks of our tribal acre tribal land has been occupied by your Muslim people. Your thinking is very dirty. And it is clear that this type thinking is not good for our land.