Introduction
A landmark tripartite accord for final settlement of demands in Bodoland was signed on 27 January 2020. The same will pave the way for restoration of peace and development in the insurgency-ravaged areas of Bodoland.
The tripartite accord was signed between the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and all the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) factions in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal and Assam’s Finanace Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Genesis of the Bodoland Issue
The northern most region of Assam, which lies on the northern bank of Brahmaputra River, adjoining the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh is predominantly inhabited by the Bodo people and serves as a gateway to the complete North Eastern region of India.
Bodos happen to be the earliest inhabitants of the Brahmaputra valley. The complete NE region of India, especially the areas north of Brahmaputra River were highly underdeveloped prior to independence.
The region is known to have an abundance of natural resources like oil, natural gas and Assam tea. However, due to lack of infrastructure and inapt road connectivity to major cities of Assam, the area lagged behind in terms of education, employment and development.
After 1947, certain steps were taken by the government to safeguard the interests of Bodo people, like giving them the status of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and by the creation of tribal belts and blocks (for scheduled-tribes), which was a mechanism to protect farming and grazing lands mainly from rich landlord and illegal immigrants.
However, by the early 1960s the Plains Tribal’s Council of Assam (PTCA), a political party representing Bodos and other plains tribal’s of Assam realized that tribal belts and blocks were gradually being acquired by rich landlords or new immigrants through illegal means.
This problem got further aggravated when the Government of India decided to open the floodgates for refugees seeking asylum in India from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), before its separation from Pakistan.
Therefore, the original inhabitants of the region got marginalised by the mass influx of many affluent and also, desperate outsiders. (At present the demographic orientation of the region comprises of just 28% Bodo, 20% Muslims, 15% Adivasis, and rest includes, Assamese, Bengali Hindus and non-Bodo tribes).
In order to address this issue, in 1967, PTCA demanded a Union Territory status for an area to be carved out of Assam, called Udayachal. The proposed Udayachal map included mainly those areas that were known as tribal belts and blocks.
However, the demand for Udayachal never materialized.
The large size of Assam state, lack of political representation of Bodo people, rampant corruption that diverted financial packages meant for Bodo people from the Centre government, resulted in All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and Bodo political parties jointly demanding a separate state, called Bodoland in late 1980s. For similar reasons, Khasis and Garos had earlier carved out Meghalaya from Assam.
Bodoland Movement and Signing of Bodo Peace Accord-1993
The Bodoland Movement for an independent state of Bodoland formally started on 02 March 1987, under the leadership of ABSU leader Upendrenath Brahma.
The ABSU created a political organisation called the Bodo Peoples’ Action Committee (APAC), and heightened its agitation for division of Assam 50:50.
Consequently, the first Bodo Accord was signed on 20 February 1993, which led to the creation of Bodo Autonomous Council (BAC). However, the accord soon collapsed due to a vertical split between the ABSU and the other political parties, which led to widespread violence and displacement of over 70,000 people.
Agitations and large scale riots took place again in 1994, 1996, and May 2014 as the Bodos continued to feel insecure as their feared that they would be reduced to a minority in their own homeland.
Bodo Peace Accord-2003 & Territorial Council Act-2003
Finally, after a series of rounds of deliberate and meaningful talks, the militant cadres laid down their arms and signed a second agreement with the government called the Bodo Accord-2003.
As per the provisions of this Accord, a Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) was established and a Bodo Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) was created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
The aim of creating BTAD was to safeguard the interests of Bodo people and ensure their appropriate representation in socio-political decision making processes in the region.
The BTAD comprises of 35% of the state of Assam and the areas include districts of Kokrajhar, Baska, Chirang and Udalguri.
Reasons for Continuation of Clashes and Riots
The Bodo Accord seeks to protect the rights of indigenous Bodo people, but at the same time allows Muslim settler (both legal and illegal) and non-Bodo tribes to freely acquire land in the BTAD.
Bangladeshi illegal migrants have been obtaining documents, like ration cards illegally to establish their nationality and buying land in the region.
Non-Bodos and Muslims feel that Bodos, that comprise only 25 % of the total population, should not be given the authority to rule over and control three-fourth of the population in the BTAD.
However, Bodos feel that they are the largest tribal community out of the 34 other tribal communities of Assam and hence, cannot be neglected, exploited and discriminated against.
A number of villages with Bodo minority have been included in the BTAD to maintain a contiguous area, that has created conflict and the non-Bodos want these to be removed from the BTAD.
Hence, both Bodos and non-Bodos are demanding to review the Bodo Territorial Council Act-2003. The Bodos feel that their rights are not being protected and they might be reduced to a minority in their own homeland. The non-Bodos feel that the Bodos are being given more benefit than they ought to be getting.
There is a faction of Bodo society that wants to separate from the union of India and form a sovereign Bodoland. They have a militant faction called the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
NDFB is a separatist group that wants independence and has been responsible for widespread killing of non-Bodos in the region to create fear psychosis in the minds of settlers from outside Assam. NDFB had earlier opposed any peace talks with the government.
Major Highlights of the Bodoland Peace Accord- 2020
The Centre announced an economic bonanza for development of Bodoland areas to include a special package of Rs 900 crore.
Besides, the government will assure the Bodo groups to safeguard the Bodo language and culture and Bodo language will now be an associate official language with Devanagari script in Assam.
In return, the militant factions will terminate all insurgency related activities and a total of 1550 NDFB cadres along with 130 weapons will surrender to the authorities in a ceremony on 30th January 2020.
Bodoland will now be named as Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), and will have more administrative power.
Miscellaneous Points of the Peace Accord:
- The number of seats in Bodo Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) will be increased from 40 to 60.
- A central university will be set up at Barama in the name of ABSU leader, Upendra Nath Brahma.
- Special industrial policy for BTAD.
- Railway coach factory to be set up in BTAD area.
- Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre to be set up at Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang.
- District Collectors (DC) and Superintendents of Police(SP) will be appointed in consultation with BTC authority.
- A National Sports University will be set up.
- Autonomous Welfare Council for the Bodo people living outside BTAD areas.
- A Cancer Hospital and Medical College will be set up in Tamulpur
- GOI to expedite the process of granting Hills tribe status to Bodos living in Hills areas
- A veterinary college will be set up at Kumarikata
- A central university and RIIMS will be set up in Udalguri
- Special industrial policy for BTAD