prevent ethnic violence? The next section explains this question by analyzing the nature of violence in the BTAD areas.
through political decentralization, there are instances where political decentralization has created conditions for ethnic violence. To illustrate, we can take the example of South Asia, particularly some parts of India, Sri Lanka, and northern regions of Bangladesh where political decentralization has created grounds for ethnic violence. Critics also argued that political decentralization sometimes may not reduce ethnic violence; rather conflicts may intensify and lead to more violence in the autonomous regions. Competition for resources among ethnic groups can promote more violence in the region. Struggle to possess government goods, services, infrastructural works make elites as well as an ethnic group to indulge in violence to show their dominance which leads to ethnic violence (Lake &
Rothchild, 1996). Therefore, the following section discusses the relation between political decentralization and ethnic violence in the case of politically decentralized areas of Bodoland.
Misra argued that violence in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts was caused by conflicts on the issue of control over land. He also insisted that violence is a product of wrong policies taken by the government since independence such as marginalizing the plains tribes and denial of land rights to the plains tribes. The issue of lands, migration, demographic change and identity politics are the core issues of conflict since the 1930s (Misra, 2012). Moreover, he argued that the creation of a particular ethnic homeland without providing constitutional rights such as proper representation in the council for the other communities became an agenda for conflict in the region between Bodos and other communities, especially Santhals and the immigrant Muslims. Non-Bodo organizations claimed that there are discriminatory policies to other communities living in the area where government facilities are provided to Bodo community alone by the BTAD administration.
The violence that occurred in the area is the outcome of protests initiated by different non- Bodo organizations like Onaboro Surakhsha Mancha (Non-Bodo Protection Forum). It is claimed that intimidation and extortion against non-Bodo became a trend for some leaders of the Bodo community.152 When Bodo militants were very active, non-Bodos could not organize themselves for a common protest. Once the NDFB faction led by Ranjan Daimary went for ceasefire and were willing to talk with the government, other communities living in the territory organized and formed a Non-Bodo Protection Forum (NBPF) which included ABMSU, All Assam Koch-Rajbongshi Students Union, Bengali Students Federation, the All Assam Gorkha Students Union and the All Assam Tea Tribes Students Union. In 2012, the NBPF started protesting against the demands made by Bodo People’s Front for a separate Bodoland state. Koch-Rajbongshi, a major non-Bodo community also demanded a separate state and tribal status. Koch-Rajbongshis conducted huge rallies at Bongaigaon for their cause.153 At the same time, ABMSU called for a 24-hour Kokrajhar bandh on 29th May 2012 which led to widespread violence. Vehicles were burned injuring many people in the area.
Different Bodo organizations responded to the incident by holding a mass rally on 30th March. In the month of June, there were massive protests and road blockades by the ABMSU and a rally was organized by Bodo People’s Front for the demand of a separate state. The tension intensified between the two communities and on 6th July two members of ABMSU were shot dead in Kokrajhar. This resulted in the killing of four former BLT members in the Jaypur area of Kokrajhar on 20th July which resulted in violence. The violence spread to Chirang and Baksa districts. However, Udalguri district was not affected
152 Data collected at Kokrajhar between April 2013 and December 2015 as a Research Assistant under the project Challenges of Building Capacities in Conflict Situations in Eastern India, IIT Guwahati, December 2011- December 2013.
153 Interview conducted in BTAD as a Research Assistant under the project Challenges of Building Capacities in Conflict Situations in Eastern India, IIT Guwahati, December 2011- December 2013.
by the violence. Earlier Udalguri experienced violence and large-scale displacements in 2008.154 Houses of both Bodos and Muslims were burnt during the violence. The displaced people took refuge in refugee camps.155
To give a historical background to violence in the Bodoland region, the Bodoland movement which started in the 1980s took a violent turn. Violence intensified in the 1990s against the other communities living in the Bodo-dominated areas. Bodo activists demanded the other communities to leave the lands for the Bodo community. Bodos also claimed that lands were earlier grabbed by immigrants and non-Bodo settlers right after Indian independence. During independence, tribal land in the tribal belts and blocks were taken by non-Bodo middle-class peasants and encroached forest lands as well.156 Violence intensified when militant armed groups led the movement. Violence intensified and promoted against other communities by United Tribal Nationalist Liberation Front (UTNLF) and later on by Bodo Security Force, BLT and NDFB. The first major violence took place between Bodos and Muslim settlers in October 1993 which was followed by another round of violence in 1994 by burning of houses of Muslim settlers in the district of Barpeta. Santhals were targeted in the month of May-June 1996 by the Bodos killing more than 200 people and many displaced. More clashes took place in 1998 and 1999 which affected not only other communities but also Bodos. In 2008 violence occurred in Udalguri and Darrang districts
154 Information was collected from daily newspapers of Assam and interview conducted in Kokrajhar with government officers and police officials under the the project Challenges of Building Capacities in Conflict Situations in Eastern India, IIT Guwahati, December 2011- December 2013.
155 Interview taken in the relief camps in Kokrajhar district as a Research Assistant under the project Challenges of Building Capacities in Conflict Situations in Eastern India, IIT Guwahati, December 2011- December 2013, where the inmates of refugee camps by both the communities insisted that houses were burnt down but no direct attack was made to kill people.
156 Interviews conducted in different parts of BTAD areas shows that Bodo community accused that non-Bodo middle class peasants took over the land of the tribal people in a very less sum of money because of heavy debts taken by tribal people which they could not return.
between Bodos and Muslims displacing many. The affected communities were mostly Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims of the region.157 The violence which took place in Udalguri district of BTAD in 2008 had a lot of casualties and displaced many. Report shows that the violence killed 41 people from both the communities. Curfew was imposed for 3-4 months.158 Relief and rehabilitation branch confirmed that more than 3117 families were affected by the violence and took shelter in different relief camps. While rehabilitating the families, the rehabilitation branch distributed three bundles of Tin roof-sheet (tinpat) and Rs.
10500 as compensation to each family.
The violent clashes of 2008 in Darrang and Udalguri between Bodos and accused illegal migrants and the violence which occurred in July 2012 in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts indicate that peace is fragile and political decentralization by way of granting autonomy could not reduce ethnic violence in the region.