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North East : Assam : State Govt, Army lock horns over operations

	November 19, 2001

Efforts to stamp out terrorism and insurgency in Assam appear to have suffered a setback following differences between the State Government and security forces which are operating under the Unified Command. The State Government led by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has accused the Army of acting without the confidence of local authorities and has demanded that the Army while carrying out its operations against terrorists must take along a representative of the local civil administration.

According to media reports, the Chief Minister has also asked the State police to look into the provisions of the Special Arms Power Act and ensure that the Army is not allowed to operate independently in Assam.

Admitting that there was lack of coordination among the security forces operating under the Unified Command, Gogoi told newspersons on November 15 that there are instances where the security forces moved in for operations without taking along the representative of the local administration.

“We pointed this out to the Army in the last security review meeting also, but they insisted that they have the power to operate independently under the Special Arms Power Act. I have asked the officials concerned to look into the provisions of the Act, and if necessary, an amendment be proposed to avoid any embarrassing situation,” he added.

The State-Army differences over operations come close on the heels of the latter’s complaint to the administration that some of the district superintendents of police were going soft on ULFA militants and not cooperating with the Army.

Reiterating that police excesses against innocent people will not be tolerated, the Chief Minister revealed that recently the Army opened fire on innocent villagers in Mangaldoi district and branded innocent villagers as militants. The village where the incident took place was tense because of a land dispute and quite obvious to the Army operation. The villagers came out en masse to resist the miscreants and three of them were killed as the Army opened fire on them. Later, it was revealed that a group of miscreants misled the Army, telling them that some ULFA militants were hiding in the village. Gogoi regretted the fact that the Army officials did not take either the district administration or the police into confidence before going in for the operation.



Stand on POTO

Answering a question on the Assam Government’s stand on the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance, the Congress Chief Minister toed the party line and rejected POTO by saying there were sufficient provisions in the existing law which provides ample powers to the security forces to act against terrorists. Gogoi expressed similar views at the State Chief Ministers’ Conference held in New Delhi on November 16. The Conference was addressed by Prime Minister Vajpayee who appealed to the States to support the Central move when the Bill on POTO is introduced in Parliament in its winter session beginning on November 19.



ULFA vacating four camps in Bhutan

The security forces are keeping a close watch on the possible movement of ULFA and NDFB militants after the two underground outfits gave an undertaking to the Bhutan Government that they would vacate four camps in the Himalayan Kingdom by the year-end. According to one estimate, there are nearly 2000 ULFA and NDFB cadres in these camps. In all, the militants from Assam are operating about eight camps in Bhutan, besides a few smaller transit camps.

The ULFA had decided to vacate the camps because of intense pressure from the Bhutan Government. The question now is when would these underground cadres shift to. Sources said diplomatic efforts were on to ensure that the militants were allowed to set up camps in any other neighbouring country. There are indications that the victory of the BNP in Bangladesh has queered the pitch.



Bodo problem

The Bodo problem in Assam is becoming increasingly complex with the BLT (Bodo Liberation Tigers) issuing a warning to the State government not to hold Panchayat elections in the areas of the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council before solving the Bodo issue.

The warning came following reports that the State Government is contemplating to hold panchayat elections next month. The BLT is currently observing ceasefire and holding peace talks with the Centre and the State Government. Reacting to the move, the BLT spokesman, Mainao Daimary, said : “We shall not allow the panchayat elections in the proposed areas till the Bodo problem is solved. The State and the Centre have already given commitment to settle the problem under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution which does not come under the purview of the Panchayat Act. If Panchayat elections are imposed on Bodo people by the State Government, it will invite bloodshed”.

Reiterating their demand that the next phase of talks should be held at the political level, Daimary also expressed unhappiness over the role of the Congress Government. The BLT leadership is not at all happy over the delay in finalizing the accord. “We do not want talks to linger as we wanted a solution by September 15, but because of the Assembly polls, the process was delayed. But now the Bill is in the State and the Centre Government’s court and they should take immediate steps for an early solution of the problem,” he added. Daimary demanded that the Union Home Minister should chair the next round of talks and Chief Minister Gogoi should also attend the meeting as only political leaders are in a position to take decisions.

The Bodo issue revolves round the February 1993 Bodo Accord which is likely to be scrapped. The accord could not be implemented as its main signatory and interim Bodo Autonomous Council Chief Executive, S.K. Biswamutiary, quit the post following differences over the late Hiteshwar Saikia’s unilateral demarcation of the boundary.

The dispute was over the non-inclusion of 400-odd villages and 40 tea gardens in the north bank lying within a 10-km. belt of the international border with Bhutan. The issue could have been sorted out with the Defence Ministry which had ostensibly objected to this on the ground of security.

Further, the crux of the problem is that Bodos do not constitute a majority in the BAC jurisdiction and non-Bodos predominate in some areas. Now the Bodo Liberation Tigers, with which the Centre has had several rounds of talks, wants the creation of Bodoland Territorial Council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution which will in any case, need a constitutional amendment. New Delhi is cultivating the BLT because it is not secessionist like the rival National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) which is demanding a separate sovereign state outside India.

Then there is the problem of non-Bodos. The Bodo leaders refuse to sit with non-Bodo groups which are 18 in number. Their refusal will not only delay the solution, but also cause ethnic tensions. Even before the Bodo Accord could be implemented there were calculated attacks on religious, linguistic and ethnic groups which locals were supposed to protect. There is no guarantee this will not happen in future. The Centre has to think twice before accepting the BLT demand. Even if it finds the BTC concept an ideal solution, it must ensure that political interests of the non-Bodos are protected.