With an aim to bring permanent peace in Bodo-dominated areas in Assam, the Centre on Monday signed a tripartite agreement with the dreaded insurgent group National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and two other outfits, providing political and economic benefits without acceding to the demand for a separate state or Union Territory.
The All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), which has been spearheading a movement for a Bodoland state since 1972, and the United Bodo People's Organisation were also signatories to the Comprehensive Bodo Settlement Agreement – Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
In the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the tripartite agreement was signed by top leaders of the four NDFB factions, the ABSU and the United Bodo People's Organization (UBPO); Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry Satyendra Garg; and Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna.
Representational image of Bodo villagers in Kokrajhar. PTI
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also signed the pact as one of the witnesses. Soon after the agreement was signed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it would usher in a new dawn of peace, harmony and togetherness.
Bodos, who believe to be the earliest settlers of Assam, are an ethnic and linguistic group which is a sub-group of the Bodo-Kachari family.
The Bodo conflict, which dates back to the pre-Independence era, gained momentum from 1987 when the ABSU launched an agitation for a separate state. Some prominent armed separatist groups were founded during the 1980s.
Bodos have advanced a number of reasons for wanting a separate state. They have called the territory they inhabit home for centuries, and want to protect their ethnic identity, way of life, and language. They also sought better governance and development.
Let's take a look at the timeline of major events in the long standing problem of Bodo conflict.
1) 1929: Bodo leader Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission asking for reservations in the Legislative Assembly and for a separate political entity for his people. He efforts failed him.
2) 1960s and 1970s: There were calls from Bodos and other tribes for a separate state of Udayachal as unauthorized occupants were accused of encroaching on Bodo-inhabited lands.
3) Late 1980s: A demand for a separate state for Bodos – Bodoland – and for Assam to be divided "50-50" were raised. Despite Bodo leader and then ABSU president Upendranath Brahma adopting a "peaceful" approach, separatist groups like the Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) and the The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (of which NDFB(S) is a faction) were founded during the same time.
4) 1993, February: The Centre, Assam government and the ABSU sign a tripartite agreement, following which the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) was constituted.
5) 2003, February: The separatist BLT was disbanded and another agreement was signed between the Centre, the Assam government and the BLT. This led to the formation of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).
The BTC administered the Bodoland Territorial Area – an entity based on the idea of a 'state-within-a-state' and created by the reorganization of seven Assamese districts into four contiguous districts – Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri and Baksa.
Hagrama Mohilary, who currently heads the Bodo Territorial Council, was a leader in the now defunct armed separatist group Bodo Liberation tigers.
6) 2005: The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NSFB) agreed to a ceasefire with the Assam government and the Centre. After the treaty was signed, the group had split into three factions. One of those factions, the NDFB (S), continued to carry out violent attacks within the state.
7) 2012: The Bengali-speaking Muslims and Bodos in Bodoland Territorial Area got involved in ethnic riots, thereby killing 100 and rendering four lakh homeless. This isn't an isolated incident. Bloody clashes between Bodos and non-Bodos, especially Bengali-speaking Muslims, have been routinely reported in the region.
8) May, 2014: Acting on assumption that people did not vote for their candidates in Lok Sabha polls held in April, 2014, the Bodo terrorists killed 30 people in Kokrajhar and Baksa districts.
9) December, 2014: Further attacks by Bodo terrorists killed at least 81 people, including 76 adivasis. As many as 2 lakh people were rendered homeless after the attacks.
Both the May and December 2014 attacks were allegedly carried out by NDFB (S).
Post the December incident, the Centre launched an Operation All Out – a large-scale military operation involving the Army, the Air Force, Assam state police and paramilitary forces – with an aim to eliminate NDFB(S) completely.
10) August, 2016: Fourteen civilians were killed in Kokrajhar district by terrorists. The NDFB(S) were suspected to be behind the attack.
11) August, 2017: The movement group comprising ABSU, NDFB (P) and People’s Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (PJACBM) supported by Ranjan Daimary-led NDFB faction, which is currently under peace parley with the Government of India, had announced the series of movement seeking early solution to the Bodoland issue.
A crucial meeting of the movement group was held at Bodofa House, Baganshali in Kokrajhar on 20 August, 2017, and discussed the future course of action and movement strategy.
In the press meet held after, the president of the ABSU, Promod Boro said the movement group was compelled to undertake the series of agitation as the NDA government at the Centre had been giving lukewarm response towards the solution of Bodoland issue even after promising a resolution prior to the 2014 parliamentary election. He had said the there would be 10-hour highway blockade by women on 28 August, 12-hour Assam bandh on 12 September, mass hunger strike from 1 October, 24-hour railway blockade in October and indefinite economic blockade from November.
12) 27, January 2020: As the ABSU continued with its movement for creation of a Bodoland state and NDFB carried out hit-and-run operations, several rounds of negotiations with New Delhi, four factions of NDFB and the ABSU on Monday led to the signing of the third Bodo accord.
Now, there is going to be 60 members in the Bodoland Territorial Region.
Though Amit Shah and the Bodo leaders are euphoric with the Bodo accord 2020, it is definite that it can never be the end of movements in Bodoland.
With inputs from PTI
from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2O4iizR
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