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North East : Assam : Bodo terrorists massacre 22 non-Bodos

	November 04, 2002

After lying low for about a year, the militants owing allegiance to the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in a major strike on October 27 gunned down more than 20 non-Bodo residents of a village near the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam’s Kokrajhar district.

According to district police, some two dozen NDFB militants swooped down on Dadgiri village from the hills of Bhutan late on Saturday night. The village is 75 km. from the Basugaon police station on the road to Gelengphu in Bhutan.

The militants then forced the villagers - Bengalis, Biharis, Nepalis and Koch-Rajbongshis who survive on petty trade with their Bhutanese counterparts - out of their huts, lifted them up and shot them at random. While 20 were killed on the spot, 10 others were injured. Two more died on their way to hospital.

This was the biggest single strike by the NDFB since its inception 15 years ago. The massacre was significant in view of claims by the security forces that the NDFB militants were on the run following a series of setbacks in counter-insurgency operations during the past few months.



Ethnic cleansing, a part of NDFB strategy

The massacre of 22 non-Bodos, in fact, is no surprise, though the timing is significant. It is not difficult to ascertain the precise motive of the NDFB because ethnic cleansing is part of their strategy. They want all non-Bodos out. In January this year they massacred 30 non-Bodos and if they were quiet for the past ten months, they were possibly watching the process of peace talks the rival Bodo Liberation Tigers are holding with the Centre and the Assam Government. If anything, the fresh outrage comes within days of Dispur submitting its proposals to New Delhi on safeguards and protection of non-Bodos for incorporation in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution- of a necessity since 60 per cent of the population in the proposed BTC are non-Bodos. It is not clear, how the Centre hopes to resolve the Bodo issue by engaging only moderates like the BLT which has repeatedly spurned suggestions for inclusion of non-Bodos in the negotiations. The NDFB apparently has been marginalised because they were demanding a sovereign state, but ultimately it is their participation that can help restore peace.

Bodo militants are known to operate from Bhutan where they are holed. During Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha’s visit last August, Thimphu assured him that it would not allow the ULFA or the Bodo militants to use Bhutanese soil for anti-India activities. Admittedly Bhutan has domestic compulsions not to use harsh measures to drive them out even though they reneged on their promise to leave by the end of last year, but a timeframe has to be set for their voluntary withdrawal.



Assam seeks permission to flush out militants from Bhutan

The state government has, meanwhile, sought the Union Home Ministry’s permission to flush out Bodo militants from Bhutan. “We have sought permission from the Home Ministry to allow us the option of hot pursuit of militants - at least 20 km. inside Bhutan territory. Reports say Home Ministry officials have promised to put across the state’s request to higher authorities.

“If during our chase, we are forced to step inside Bhutan territory, it will create an international controversy. Under such circumstances, entry within 20 km. beyond the border is usually allowed. We hope the Centre allows us to do so.”



Naga issue

The Centre has reportedly agreed to facilitate the visit of T. Muivah and Isak Swu, the leaders of a faction of the outlawed insurgent credit NSCN. But no decision has been taken about the framework of their visit.

The Nagaland government was earlier not in favour of any strategy to enable their visit to India, sources said, adding that the Centre has now decided not the succumb to any such pressures.

The Prime Minister had extended any invitation to the two leaders during his Japan trip last year. The secessionist leaders had accepted the invitation on the condition that all the hurdles should be removed before their visit such as lifting the ban on the organization. Unless the ban is repealed, the leaders’ visit to the country will be difficult.

The ban is coming to an on 26th of this month. However, it is still not clear whether the ban will ultimately be renewed with exemptions for talks or lapse on its own or it would be lifted only from the territory of Nagaland while it is renewed in the other two Congress-ruled states of Assam and Manipur where NSCN(IM) cadres are active. The ban has been in force since 1992 and it has been renewed six times.

Since Assembly elections in Nagaland are due in February 2003, there is a section within the Government as well as NSCN(IM) which desires a face saving for Muivah and Swu before the polls. If the ban is lifted before the poll and the NSCN(IM) puts up covering candidates it would be a litmus test for Chief Minister S.C. Jamir. The Government has also decided to take a liberal view of such outfits from the North East as the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), NSCN (Khaplang faction) and some others which are either having talks or are ready to hold talks with the Centre without any preconditions. “The Government has decided to adopt an open-heart policy for these outfits,” said The Statesman quoting a senior official in its report on October 27.

As far as ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) is concerned, the Government appears to be clear that unless the outfit drops its conditions including sovereignty and third party involvement in talks, the Centre will not initiate any dialogue with the terrorist outfit. The ULFA is one of the major terrorist outfits in Assam.