Analysts say that the main cause of the clash between Bodo
tribals and immigrant Muslims 2012 was control over land. Kokrajhar and
Chirang were predominantly a Bodo tribal majority areas till nineties.
But there were migration of immigrant Muslims to the Gossaigaon sub
division areas in Kokrajhar district since beginning of nineties.
Immigrant Muslim population has increased exponentially in Gossaigaon sub division in last two decades.
Immigrant Muslims procured lands from many Bodos in Gossaigaon areas and outnumbered Bodos in many villages. Over a period of time, there were migrations of immigrant Muslims to Kokrajhar and Chirang town areas. These immigrant Muslims are mainly agricultural labourers and daily wage earners.
The control over land by immigrant Muslims in Bodo heartland and increasing population of immigrant Muslims in Kokrajhar and other districts of BTC created fear psychosis among Bodos.
(With inputs from agencies and Wikipedia)
Tension among Muslims and Non-Muslims have always prevailed in the region.
There are people of diverse tribes, communities living in the BTAD, and that's the fact. But accusing Bodos as involving in the process of ethnic cleansing was just a fabricated stories.
It is noteworthy to 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 communities viz. Bodo, Rabha, Lalung (Tiwa), Sonowal, Mishing,Kacharies, Santhals, Gurkas and Rajbanshi, 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, we can not consider Bodos’ involvement in the process of ethnic cleansing in BTAD.
*Now the question is "why tribal Bodos have become minority in their own land?". We need to 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 is very sure to that extend that there has been encroachment of immigrants in the villages situated within tribal belts and Blocks, of which the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are the dominant proportion.
Now, the CBI, which was probing the 2012 ethnic riots in Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD), has named an Assam Police constable as the main culprit for fueling clashes in its final report, Mohibur Islam alias Ratul, the accused.
"Investigation in the case has revealed that Mohibur, a suspended police constable, had committed offenses of promoting enmity between different
groups of society on grounds of religion, race and his acts were prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and peace in Kokrajhar district. However as per law, the sanction of state government is required to launch prosecution against the accused," said a source citing the CBI letter.
The probe revealed that Mohibur was carrying illegal firearms with him on July 19 and he accidentally shot a bullet in his leg. Later, a case was registered with Kokrajhar Police that two motorcycle-borne Bodo youths tried to kill Mohibur.
"To avoid a case of carrying illegal firearms and to mislead police investigation, Mohibur concocted a false story of attack on him," said an official.
The CBI has recorded the statements of at least 50 witnesses in the case.
On the following day of the incident on July 20, the All Bodoland Minority Students' Union (ABMSU) had called a bandh in Kokrajhar in protest against the attack. Mohibur was the founder-member of ABMSU.
"On July 20 evening, Mohibur's supporters apprehended four Bodo youths. Mohibur, who was undergoing treatment, gave specific instructions to his supporters in the Joypur area on Kokrajhar district to kill the four persons. This acted as a trigger for ethnic violence in the district which resulted in deaths of over 100 people and displaced thousands," a source said citing the CBI report.
Mohibur, who was posted as a constable in Morigaon district, was suspended from his duty for his alleged involvement in crimes like extortion, decoity, rape, murder, possessing illegal arms and making blue films.
Morigaon Police said he has not joined duty yet and his whereabouts are not known.
A) Attack on Government Official on duty to relief camps :-
Incidents of attack by the people of Muslim Minority Community in relief camps to the govt. officials as follows:
1) On 24th July, 2012, a group of all party MLA delegates were attacked by Muslim refugees in relief camp at Sarbhog.
2) On 21st July,12, Western Range DIG Shri Surendra Kumar’s convoy was attacked by Muslim refugees in Kodaldoha relief camp near Fakiragram under Kokrajhar District.
3) On 24th July, 12, Magistrate Shri Bipul Saikia was attacked by Muslim refugees of Kashipara relief camp 7 km from Kokrajhar at the time when Assam Chief Minister was present in Kokrajhar Town.
4) On 24th July,12, Agriculture Minister Shri Nilmani Sen Deka blocked by more than 3000 Muslim refugees at Bortola on National Highway 31, near Dhaligaon, under Chirang District.
B) The statement uttered by some renowned persons as follows:
1) BTAD Chief Shri Hagrama Mohilari, on 24th July,12 blamed all the Bangladeshis who came from neighboring country Bangladesh for the present turmoil in Assam and demanded immediately sealing of Indo-Bangla Border. He also alleged that local Muslim have informed the people from outside, particularly Bangladesh, who entered the area and were instigating the local people to indulge in violence in Kokrajhar District. He expressed possibility of ferrying arms and ammunition to the state through Dhubri by the Brahmaputra River by Bangladeshis.
2) The Pro-talk ULFA leader Shri Mrinal Hazarika supported BTAD Chief Hagrama Mohilari’s statement as ‘true’ and demanded the sealing of boundary alleging the involvement of Anti-India Forces from the neighboring country. He also alleged that a particular community in the state seeking the help of another particular community from outside for carrying out the communal violence in the BTAD. According to him one of the three boats, full of arms and ammunition reached by Brahmaputra through Dhubri District and other two will be reaching soon form Bangladesh. He also suspect the involvement of MULTA and Pakistani ISI intriguing the clashes in the BTAD.
3) The President of All Boro students union, Shri Promod Boro had called for sealing of the border with Bangladesh and the inter-district boundary between Dhubri and Kokrajhar to check influx into the BTAD through Dhubri.
4) The AASU also supported the demand of Shri Hagrama Mohilary for sealing the Dhubri-Kokrajhar border and told the Chief Minister to make public his decision on Mohilari’s demand.
5) BTAD Dy Chief Shri Kampa Bargoyary on Friday said the influx from Bangladesh was the main cause of ethnic violence between the Bodos and the Muslims. He also said that massive influx from Bangladesh has out numbered the indigenous population and threatened their political and Socio-economic situation. He alleged that both state and Central Government had failed to protect people living in the tribal belts and he blamed the All Bodoland Minority Students Union (ABMSU) for the situation.
6) Meghalaya governor Ranjit Sekhar Mooshahary, a former IPS officer, who once headed the National Security Guards (NSG), also blamed that the Assam government was unable to prevent the communal clashes despite having prior indications. He said, “Several houses in our village were set ablaze by an armed mob just before noon. Even paddy fields with standing crop were destroyed. This happened despite the presence of a police picket near an LP school in the area. Police has been very ineffective,” (Mooshahary’s native village Odlaguri in Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar came under miscreants’ attack & burned in broad daylight on Tuesday.)
7) BJP National General Secretary Vijay Goel has also demanded sealing of the border to check entry of illegal immigrants and thereby, trouble, ‘The congress government has failed to check influx’ he said.
C) Messages were circulated warning people of Northeastern states of India to leave Bangalore and other cities before Eid al-Fitr (the festival that marks the end of Ramadan) which was on 20 August 2012
During the crisis that unfolded in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) and the adjoining Dhubri and Bongaigaon districts, those areas witnessed the tragedy of nearly 500,000 people being forced to take shelter in 273 temporary refugee camps. An estimated 97 people have lost their lives and around 500 villages were burnt down. The magnitude of this human tragedy is overwhelming considering the short span of one month in which it occurred.
The highlights made by the Assamese Media at that time only focused the negative side of Bodos and the truth was never shown. The fear of loosing vote banks from Muslim majority areas kept the politicians dumb and deaf.
Examining the facts above "How can you expect Bodos to remain patriotic when nobody tried to understand, listens to them and every body wants to help and shield the Bangladeshi infiltrators?", "I literally was guarding my village taking a heavy axe which is remembered by my neighbors till today."
By now it should be clear that the communal clash which took place (2012) was all because of Assam Police constable Mohibur Islam alias Ratul (CBI, final report) and simplistic propositions like ‘Bangladeshi illegal migrants were the root cause of the violence’, prevents us from understanding the complex reality of the situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Anand Kumar wrote for South Asia Analysis Group in 2008, 'After returning from the 28th India-Bangladesh Border Coordination Conference in Dhaka, the BSF chief A K Mitra disclosed that nearly 12 lakh Bangladeshis who had entered India on valid papers have disappeared between 1972 to 2005. He was quoting this figure from the intelligence reports of the West Bengal government.
This is one of the few official figures about the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants whose number has been estimated to be around 20 million and growing by the day. Out of this number nearly six million illegal Bangladeshis are residing in Assam, where they have turned five of the bordering districts into migrant-majority areas. What is however, most concerning is that these illegal immigrants are now threatening to swamp the tribal and rural areas of Assam and other parts of the country.'
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Immigrant Muslim population has increased exponentially in Gossaigaon sub division in last two decades.
Immigrant Muslims procured lands from many Bodos in Gossaigaon areas and outnumbered Bodos in many villages. Over a period of time, there were migrations of immigrant Muslims to Kokrajhar and Chirang town areas. These immigrant Muslims are mainly agricultural labourers and daily wage earners.
The control over land by immigrant Muslims in Bodo heartland and increasing population of immigrant Muslims in Kokrajhar and other districts of BTC created fear psychosis among Bodos.
(With inputs from agencies and Wikipedia)
Tension among Muslims and Non-Muslims have always prevailed in the region.
There are people of diverse tribes, communities living in the BTAD, and that's the fact. But accusing Bodos as involving in the process of ethnic cleansing was just a fabricated stories.
It is noteworthy to 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 communities viz. Bodo, Rabha, Lalung (Tiwa), Sonowal, Mishing,Kacharies, Santhals, Gurkas and Rajbanshi, 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, we can not consider Bodos’ involvement in the process of ethnic cleansing in BTAD.
*Now the question is "why tribal Bodos have become minority in their own land?". We need to 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 is very sure to that extend that there has been encroachment of immigrants in the villages situated within tribal belts and Blocks, of which the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are the dominant proportion.
Now, the CBI, which was probing the 2012 ethnic riots in Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD), has named an Assam Police constable as the main culprit for fueling clashes in its final report, Mohibur Islam alias Ratul, the accused.
"Investigation in the case has revealed that Mohibur, a suspended police constable, had committed offenses of promoting enmity between different
groups of society on grounds of religion, race and his acts were prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and peace in Kokrajhar district. However as per law, the sanction of state government is required to launch prosecution against the accused," said a source citing the CBI letter.
The probe revealed that Mohibur was carrying illegal firearms with him on July 19 and he accidentally shot a bullet in his leg. Later, a case was registered with Kokrajhar Police that two motorcycle-borne Bodo youths tried to kill Mohibur.
"To avoid a case of carrying illegal firearms and to mislead police investigation, Mohibur concocted a false story of attack on him," said an official.
The CBI has recorded the statements of at least 50 witnesses in the case.
On the following day of the incident on July 20, the All Bodoland Minority Students' Union (ABMSU) had called a bandh in Kokrajhar in protest against the attack. Mohibur was the founder-member of ABMSU.
"On July 20 evening, Mohibur's supporters apprehended four Bodo youths. Mohibur, who was undergoing treatment, gave specific instructions to his supporters in the Joypur area on Kokrajhar district to kill the four persons. This acted as a trigger for ethnic violence in the district which resulted in deaths of over 100 people and displaced thousands," a source said citing the CBI report.
Mohibur, who was posted as a constable in Morigaon district, was suspended from his duty for his alleged involvement in crimes like extortion, decoity, rape, murder, possessing illegal arms and making blue films.
Morigaon Police said he has not joined duty yet and his whereabouts are not known.
A) Attack on Government Official on duty to relief camps :-
Incidents of attack by the people of Muslim Minority Community in relief camps to the govt. officials as follows:
1) On 24th July, 2012, a group of all party MLA delegates were attacked by Muslim refugees in relief camp at Sarbhog.
2) On 21st July,12, Western Range DIG Shri Surendra Kumar’s convoy was attacked by Muslim refugees in Kodaldoha relief camp near Fakiragram under Kokrajhar District.
3) On 24th July, 12, Magistrate Shri Bipul Saikia was attacked by Muslim refugees of Kashipara relief camp 7 km from Kokrajhar at the time when Assam Chief Minister was present in Kokrajhar Town.
4) On 24th July,12, Agriculture Minister Shri Nilmani Sen Deka blocked by more than 3000 Muslim refugees at Bortola on National Highway 31, near Dhaligaon, under Chirang District.
B) The statement uttered by some renowned persons as follows:
1) BTAD Chief Shri Hagrama Mohilari, on 24th July,12 blamed all the Bangladeshis who came from neighboring country Bangladesh for the present turmoil in Assam and demanded immediately sealing of Indo-Bangla Border. He also alleged that local Muslim have informed the people from outside, particularly Bangladesh, who entered the area and were instigating the local people to indulge in violence in Kokrajhar District. He expressed possibility of ferrying arms and ammunition to the state through Dhubri by the Brahmaputra River by Bangladeshis.
2) The Pro-talk ULFA leader Shri Mrinal Hazarika supported BTAD Chief Hagrama Mohilari’s statement as ‘true’ and demanded the sealing of boundary alleging the involvement of Anti-India Forces from the neighboring country. He also alleged that a particular community in the state seeking the help of another particular community from outside for carrying out the communal violence in the BTAD. According to him one of the three boats, full of arms and ammunition reached by Brahmaputra through Dhubri District and other two will be reaching soon form Bangladesh. He also suspect the involvement of MULTA and Pakistani ISI intriguing the clashes in the BTAD.
3) The President of All Boro students union, Shri Promod Boro had called for sealing of the border with Bangladesh and the inter-district boundary between Dhubri and Kokrajhar to check influx into the BTAD through Dhubri.
4) The AASU also supported the demand of Shri Hagrama Mohilary for sealing the Dhubri-Kokrajhar border and told the Chief Minister to make public his decision on Mohilari’s demand.
5) BTAD Dy Chief Shri Kampa Bargoyary on Friday said the influx from Bangladesh was the main cause of ethnic violence between the Bodos and the Muslims. He also said that massive influx from Bangladesh has out numbered the indigenous population and threatened their political and Socio-economic situation. He alleged that both state and Central Government had failed to protect people living in the tribal belts and he blamed the All Bodoland Minority Students Union (ABMSU) for the situation.
6) Meghalaya governor Ranjit Sekhar Mooshahary, a former IPS officer, who once headed the National Security Guards (NSG), also blamed that the Assam government was unable to prevent the communal clashes despite having prior indications. He said, “Several houses in our village were set ablaze by an armed mob just before noon. Even paddy fields with standing crop were destroyed. This happened despite the presence of a police picket near an LP school in the area. Police has been very ineffective,” (Mooshahary’s native village Odlaguri in Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar came under miscreants’ attack & burned in broad daylight on Tuesday.)
7) BJP National General Secretary Vijay Goel has also demanded sealing of the border to check entry of illegal immigrants and thereby, trouble, ‘The congress government has failed to check influx’ he said.
C) Messages were circulated warning people of Northeastern states of India to leave Bangalore and other cities before Eid al-Fitr (the festival that marks the end of Ramadan) which was on 20 August 2012
*And what have we seen so far? News
headlines screamed: Muslim members of Parliament from various political
parties met the home minister seeking help for Muslim refugees. Another
news report said a secular Muslim leader has blamed the Assam government
for 'doing a Gujarat'.
This is how India's secular politicians try to uphold the basic tenets of their variety of secularism.
When one of the media person spoke to the energetic MP from the
Bodo Peoples Front, Biswajit Dwimary, he was in tears and said, 'It
looks as if Bodos do not exist for anyone. Nobody says a word about
their pains and sorrows.'
During the crisis that unfolded in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) and the adjoining Dhubri and Bongaigaon districts, those areas witnessed the tragedy of nearly 500,000 people being forced to take shelter in 273 temporary refugee camps. An estimated 97 people have lost their lives and around 500 villages were burnt down. The magnitude of this human tragedy is overwhelming considering the short span of one month in which it occurred.
The highlights made by the Assamese Media at that time only focused the negative side of Bodos and the truth was never shown. The fear of loosing vote banks from Muslim majority areas kept the politicians dumb and deaf.
Examining the facts above "How can you expect Bodos to remain patriotic when nobody tried to understand, listens to them and every body wants to help and shield the Bangladeshi infiltrators?", "I literally was guarding my village taking a heavy axe which is remembered by my neighbors till today."
By now it should be clear that the communal clash which took place (2012) was all because of Assam Police constable Mohibur Islam alias Ratul (CBI, final report) and simplistic propositions like ‘Bangladeshi illegal migrants were the root cause of the violence’, prevents us from understanding the complex reality of the situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Anand Kumar wrote for South Asia Analysis Group in 2008, 'After returning from the 28th India-Bangladesh Border Coordination Conference in Dhaka, the BSF chief A K Mitra disclosed that nearly 12 lakh Bangladeshis who had entered India on valid papers have disappeared between 1972 to 2005. He was quoting this figure from the intelligence reports of the West Bengal government.
This is one of the few official figures about the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants whose number has been estimated to be around 20 million and growing by the day. Out of this number nearly six million illegal Bangladeshis are residing in Assam, where they have turned five of the bordering districts into migrant-majority areas. What is however, most concerning is that these illegal immigrants are now threatening to swamp the tribal and rural areas of Assam and other parts of the country.'
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