July 25, 2012
Since the first week of July 2012, ethnic clash between illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and indigenous Bodo tribe is going on in the Bodoland area (BTAD) in Assam, India.
Both politicians and media is labeling it as 'communal violence' and associating the term 'riot' to it.
Although the mainstream media is mostly asleep about the whole incident, which till date took the lives of about 50 people and displaced over 100000 400000 others, social media like Facebook and Twitter is full of feeds on this 'riot'. (Twitter feeds: #AssamRiots)
What is more interesting is that the whole ethnic clash has been termed as violence between Bodo Hindus and Bengali-speaking Muslims, by the main stream media, with few exceptions, that are telling it as ethnic clash.
Assam state's Chief Minister Mr. Tarun Gogoi, has been telling till now, that there are no Bangladeshis in Assam, but truth is something else. The population of Bengali-speaking Muslims (illegal immigrants from Bangladesh) in Assam has increased about 25 per cent over the last 5-6 years. Most of the immigrant population is concentrated in Lower Assam or Western Assam mostly in the districts of Dhubri (79%), Barpeta (59%), Goalpara (54%), etc.
Tarun Gogoi is also accused by opposition parties and student unions for playing vote-bank politics, by allowing/facilitating the immigration, and providing Indian citizenship to the illegal immigrants in exchange for votes for his party.
Media is using the term, Bengali-speaking Muslim "settlers", for the ongoing Ethnic clash between indigenous Bodo tribal and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Congress Govt. in State is saying they are Indian citizens.
If both are correct, how come a non-tribal can "settle" in a Tribal area like Kokrajhar?
Has the govt. fail to protect the rights of Tribals of Assam and to implement of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006?
If the Govt. has failed, it should clearly say so.
It is worth telling that Assam is part of North East India, a region connected with India through a narrow corridor of 24 kms known as the Siliguri Corridor, which is shared between the Indian state of West Bengal with Assam, and the rest of North East.Two districts of Assam, namely Kokrajhar and Dhubri connects the Siliguri Corridor with North East India. With Dhubri consisting of 79% of Bengali-speaking Muslims (read - Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh), Kokrajhar is but of course their favourite district to consider next.
Post formation of Bodoland Territory Council, with headquarter at Kokrajhar, economy of this place has seen considerable increase, due to Govt. of India's fund for development in the region. Due to this opportunity, more and more illegal immigrants are migrating from Bangladesh to Bodoland.
The present situation in Bodoland, is not just communal violence between two religion, as highlighted by the main stream media, but has much more political issues associated with it. Actually it is not at all a riot, but an attempt by the illegal immigrants to do ethnic cleansing of the indigenous tribes of North East India.
Do give a thought to my analysis; about the ethnic clash between indigenous Bodo tribals and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
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The situation in Kokrajhar is not only disturbing for the ingenious Bodo tribal, but for all of North East, since Kokrajhar is the major district that connects North East to the rest of India (the 24 kms Chicken-neck or Siliguri Corridor). Dhubri, in the south of Kokrajhar district, is more or less in control of the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and if they get Kokrajhar too, then hell will break loose in North East.
These illegal immigrants from Bangladesh will have absolute control of all the transport and supplies to the North East. In my opinion, this could be one of the major reason for the present attempt for ethnic cleansing of Bodo tribe in Bodoland.
Even if Tarun Gogoi claims that there are no Bangladeshis in Assam and all are Indian citizen, I believe he will bear the sour-fruit of his own Vote-bank politics.. Unless he take appropriate actions to close down all pores in the border (Indo-Bangladesh border), whole of North East is going to be victim... Economic and social factors of North East are at stake, and not just lives of few Bodo people.
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You are welcome to share this with everyone. More so, with people in power, so that they can think what can happen if what is happening is not stopped immediately!!!
If you would like to provide support to the relief efforts of All Bodo Research Scholar's Forum, please follow the below link.
http://jeshal.blogspot.in/2012/07/assam-violence-relief-efforts.html
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