Thousands flee violence in India's Assam

[Oracle]

Appalling condition at relief camps: AGP

GUWAHATI, July 27 – The condition in the relief camps sheltering the riot victims in Chirang and Kokrajhar districts of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) is inhuman in a word. The inmates of these camps are made to live without adequate supply of water, food stuff, medicines, baby food, etc., and sanitation is totally absent in these camps.

This is the allegation of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders who visited the relief camps in the two districts.

Speaking to media persons at a press conference here today, AGP working president Atul Bora (Junior) also maintained that because of the lack of political will of the State Government and the BTAD administration as well, the violent situation in the BTAD areas could develop this time.

It is alleged by the representatives of the minority organisations that they had informed the Kokrajhar district administration three to four days ahead of the flareup that tension was mounting in the district. They also warned that if immediate measures were not taken, things would go beyond control. But their warnings were not heeded to.

Similar opinions were offered by many people met by the AGP delegation, said Bora. He also demanded immediate steps to seize all the firearms illegally possessed by the people in these areas.

Executive committee member of the party Nurul Hussain said that despite the claim of the Chief Minister that normalcy is returning to the troubled areas, arsoning was continuing in these areas even this afternoon.

He also alleged that while the bodies of the minority people killed in the violent incidents in the BTAD areas bore bullet injury marks, the Bodos who were killed in such incidents did not bear any bullet injury marks.

He also informed that the minority people have been alleging involvement of the BPF MLAs in the violent incidents and their PSOs are engaged to fire at the innocent people.

Ramendra Narayan Kalita alleged that there was no security arrangement in the relief camps.

 

[A chauhan]

Finally mainstream media is broadcasting news on the matter, ABP news, NDTV news etc. are showing reports on this, some persons from Assam said to ABP news that Congress has sold their lands to Bangladeshi Muslims for votes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assam riots: 'Actual' reason of Bodo-Muslim violence is rooted in land

Source: Bhaskar News | Last Updated 22:29(26/07/12)

Kokrajhar: The situation in violence-torn Assam continues to be tense as the death toll touched 44 but CM Tarun Gogoi claims the situation is 'improving'.

According to latest reports, more than 170,000 people have fled their homes since July 19 after fighting between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers in Kokrajhar and Chirang. Security forces have been given shoot-on-sight orders by the Assam government to confront with any unexpected incident...

...What is the 'actual' reason behind the violence?

Analysts say that the main cause of the present clash between Bodo tribals and immigrant Muslims is control over land. Kokrajhar and Chirang were predominantly a Bodo tribal majority areas till nineties.

But there were migration of immigrant Muslims to the Gossaigaon sub division areas in Kokrajhar district since beginning of nineties.

Immigrant Muslim population has increased exponentially in Gossaigaon sub division in last two decades.

Immigrant Muslims procured lands from many Bodos in Gossaigaon areas and outnumbered Bodos in many villages. Over a period of time, there were migrations of immigrant Muslims to Kokrajhar town areas. These immigrant Muslims are mainly agricultural labourers and daily wage earners.

The control over land by immigrant Muslims in Bodo heartland and increasing population of immigrant Muslims in Kokrajhar and other districts of BTC created fear psychosis among Bodos...

Assam riots: 'Actual' reason of Bodo-Muslim violence is rooted in land - www.daily.bhaskar.com

 

[natarajan]

They are expert in increasing population

 

[A chauhan]

Assam riots: BJP blames illegal immigrants
PTI | Jul 27, 2012, 08.14PM IST
for full news see - Assam riots: BJP blames illegal immigrants - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Blaming illegal immigrants for Assam violence, BJP today charged the Congress with "inaction" in checking their entry into the country for vote-bank politics and demanded the resignation of chief minister Tarun Gogoi...

meanwhile Congress leaders like Nurul Hussain and Gogoi continue their propaganda.

 

[The Messiah]

There are claims that congress chap is behind this because he wants to get gogoi to resign and become cm himself.

 

[maomao]

Assam violence: PM announces Rs 300 cr aid, appeals for peace | Firstpost

Lo Ab.......Con Party in Assam will have a gala time! Whom are these Con-men fooling with this so called relief package......Everything will go into the coffers of con-men and high command!

F----- seal the borders and throw out Bangladeshis and restore the land for the indigenous people! We have to change the mentality of being a secular refugee camp of the world because these are the very people once they get food to eat will ask for Madrasas (con party will happily provide them) and they will start biting our hand! There will be complete media darkness by the paid minority owned anti-national media houses and when things go out of hand - we will be at war and these media houses will blame Hindus for this situation -- giving out lame logic as seen in the case of nut-job Crypto sagrika ghosh!

 

[natarajan]

Appalling condition at relief camps: AGP

GUWAHATI, July 27 – The condition in the relief camps sheltering the riot victims in Chirang and Kokrajhar districts of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) is inhuman in a word. The inmates of these camps are made to live without adequate supply of water, food stuff, medicines, baby food, etc., and sanitation is totally absent in these camps.

This is the allegation of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders who visited the relief camps in the two districts.

Speaking to media persons at a press conference here today, AGP working president Atul Bora (Junior) also maintained that because of the lack of political will of the State Government and the BTAD administration as well, the violent situation in the BTAD areas could develop this time.

It is alleged by the representatives of the minority organisations that they had informed the Kokrajhar district administration three to four days ahead of the flareup that tension was mounting in the district. They also warned that if immediate measures were not taken, things would go beyond control. But their warnings were not heeded to.

Similar opinions were offered by many people met by the AGP delegation, said Bora. He also demanded immediate steps to seize all the firearms illegally possessed by the people in these areas.

Executive committee member of the party Nurul Hussain said that despite the claim of the Chief Minister that normalcy is returning to the troubled areas, arsoning was continuing in these areas even this afternoon.

He also alleged that while the bodies of the minority people killed in the violent incidents in the BTAD areas bore bullet injury marks, the Bodos who were killed in such incidents did not bear any bullet injury marks.

He also informed that the minority people have been alleging involvement of the BPF MLAs in the violent incidents and their PSOs are engaged to fire at the innocent people.

Ramendra Narayan Kalita alleged that there was no security arrangement in the relief camps.

if bodo or minority is getting killed ,he is loosing his life no matter whether it is by bullet or by any other means.Is he saying that killing with bullet is equal to killing and other bodo killing are not equivalent to killing and they are not liable for killing.What the stupid thing he tries to say

 

[Sikh_warrior]

illegal migrants who came between 1950s-1971 cant be sent back technically as they came from East Pakistan and now its called Bangladesh, and BD refuses to accept the east pakistanis!

refugees who came during and after 1971 and are still coming and being used as vote banks for political gains to remain in power.

demography of assam as changed drastically over last few decades and the local culture and tradition has reached a state of erosion.

this is a systematic ethnic cleansing going on in assam along with J&K.

govts and political parties will never agree to solve or resolve this issue in assam. it benefits them politically!

 

[niharjhatn]

govts and political parties will never agree to solve or resolve this issue in assam. it benefits them politically!

Exactly - these guys become naturalized and then form a huge portion of the vote block the political parties strive for. They will never be deported - for the politicians thats shooting themselves in their foot!

Whilst voting should be seen as a right, and indeed, responsibility of every Indian, it has instead morphed into a glaring point of weakness.

 

[Raj30]

blast in Assam goalpara district, Army convey attacked . Times now
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Assam-IED-blast-in-Goalpara-7-hurt/articleshow/15290577.cms

 

[ani82v]

There was a dispassionate normal debate on LSTV on Assam issue.
But these guys are so primitive that they don't even have their youtube channel yet.

 

[LurkerBaba]

Milli Gazette - Indian Muslims' Leading Newspaper

Assam riots — planned ethnic cleansing of Indian Muslims

Press Statements

The Milli Gazette
Published Online: Jul 29, 2012

Mumbai (July 26, 2012): A group of NGOs met in Mumbai on July 26 to assess and discuss the recent communal violence in Assam and Uttar Pradesh. The social and educational NGO leaders have strongly condemned the Assam violence in which Muslims have been subject to a planned ethnic cleansing. They urged the central government to immediately take strong and decisive action to control the burning of Muslim villages and killing of members of the community as the Gogoi-led state government is virtually failed to protect its innocent citizens. The community leaders have termed 'tagging Indian citizens who have been living in Assam for centuries as "illegal immigrants or Bangladeshi settlers" most unfortunate'.

Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Khan Daryabadi, general secretary All India Ulama Council, Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, director Markazul Ma'arif Education and Research Centre, Mr. Farid Shaikh, president Mumbai Aman Committee, Dr Azimuddin, president Movement for Human Welfare, Mr. Haroon Muzawala, Trustee Khair-e Ummat Trust and Maulana Ejaz Khashmiri have also said that the growing incidents of violence against Muslims in Bareilly, UP, Rajasthan and in other parts of the country are a cause of great concern for the minority community. They along with all present NGOs members unanimously expressed their deep sense of distress at the growing incidents of communal violence against Muslims and urged the government to take urgent steps to prevent such cases and book the culprits under the law.

The NGO heads have also decried the unbalanced reporting by some media houses in the Kokrajhar – Dhubri violence which are deliberately trying to show the Muslim victim as "illegal settlers". They said some media reporting are far from the truth and biased. When Muslims were attacked, killed and driven away from their homes by the same Bodo tribal in 1993-94 Kokrajhar riots, they got to settle in other places with government permission – by the time they have built their villages. But later following the declaration of Bodo Territorial (Autonomous) Council (BTC) an outcry is raised that these Muslims are newcomers on the land and thus afresh ethnic cleansing is launched to avail maximum area for BTC.

The speakers pointed out that these riots are a recurrence of those that happened in 1982-83 at Nelli and 1993-94 in Kokrajhar. They urged the central and the state governments to take urgent steps to halt such communal flare ups which cause untold suffering to the local Assamese Muslims. Muslim NGOs have strongly demanded that the riot victims who have been ousted from their villages be rehabilitated in their original villages. It is time to find out a permanent amicable solution to the Assam's citizenship problem sooner than later, argued the Muslim leader in their press statement.

Assam riots — planned ethnic cleansing of Indian Muslims

 

[maomao]

^^^^^^^^ Again Islamic BS!

----------------------------------------

Army jawan dead, six injured in IED blast in Goalpara district of lower Assam

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...trict-of-lower-assam/articleshow/15291761.cms

 

[bhramos]

 

[bhramos]

 

[ani82v]

No mention of Bangladesh angle by the reporter. So, it was not really about Bangladesh or Govt encouraged settlement.

Sandip Roy

The rice is still on fire: The view from Muslim camps in Assam | Firstpost

Bongaigaon (Assam): When I ask for directions to the refugee camp at the military checkpost, the man in uniform is bemused.

"Which camp?" he says. "There are so many." When I tell him it's in a high school, he shrugs. That does not narrow down the search much at all.

Amidst the sun-dappled bamboo groves and waterlogged paddy fields of southern Assam, in districts like Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Chirang, many schools are now closed because they shelter the victims of July's violence that have left almost four lakh homeless and at least 53 dead, according to official estimates. The end of the unexpected summer holiday was supposed to be 31 July. Now it has been extended by another week at least.

Promises to keep

Sandip Roy/Firstpost

The government, caught flat footed in its initial response, is trying to make up for lost time. The top police officials in the worst affected areas have been transferred. P Chidambaram flew in here in one of his last acts as home minister as did Manmohan Singh and LK Advani. Now Assam's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said 14 camps have been closed, 12,000 people have gone back home already and the rest will go home by 15 August.

At the camp housing Muslim refugees in the high school in Basugaon in Chirang district no one is buying Gogoi's promises. There are 7,442 people here from 17 villages. Chidambaram came to this camp with promises of protection.

"He gave his assurance and left," says Harun Rashid Mandal, the camp secretary. "I will believe it when I see it."

These refugees have different stories about how they fled. Seventy-year-old Abdul Karim puts his hand halfway up his chest to show how deep the water was when he waded across the river. Some came under the cover of rain-sodden nights walking 25-30 km. Some waited till the first huts were set ablaze, allegedly by Bodo miscreants dressed in army fatigues, before fleeing. Some managed to bring a couple of goats or a cow.

Halimi Bibi says she had to leave her old husband behind with their 15 chickens. He was too ill to go anywhere.They tell stories of one deaf and dumb man whose hacked body floated up the river and was found near a rickety wooden bridge. But most families are intact, just scared.

The script of demands

Lining up for medicines. Sandip Roy/Firstpost

But while the personal stories differ, when it comes to the future they seem to be all reading from the same script. They will not leave until they get compensation for their homes and cows and chickens. They will not budge unless the CRPF sets up permanent outposts near their villages. "The Assam police will not do," says Mohammad Amir Hussain from Nalbari village. "Our houses burned in front of them. We called the police officers again and again. They said they were coming but no one came until it was all ashes." And now there is a political demand – scrap the Bodoland Territorial Areas District agreement that gave these districts autonomy.

In effect, these refugees are laying down demands that the government cannot meet. Jayanta Narayan Chowdhury, the Director General of Police in Assam, already infamous for saying the police cannot be always available like an ATM after the Guwahati molestation case, has also said the villages are too dispersed and there can never be enough police pickets. The Bodo community has its counter demands. They want illegal migration stopped (which these refugees stoutly deny is happening) and they want all camp residents to prove their Indian citizenship before they are repatriated.

The rice is still on fire

At the Nankargaon High School refugee camp, Musa Ali says he cannot even think about going home now. The villages exist cheek by jowl with Bodo villages. Some are encircled by Bodo homes. Some have a main road that passes through Bodo areas. Musa Ali's younger brother went back a couple of days ago to water the rice fields. "Even the taps had been ripped out and taken away," he says. Rahim Ali says he saw only the stumps of his house. "Dhaan ekhono jwolchhey (The rice is still on fire)," he says.

Just this week nine houses were burned down in Chirang district, a clear warning to refugees who want to return, say the camp residents. The Muslim refugees deny all reports about setting Bodo homes on fire.

They are settling down for the long haul. But it's unclear how long that haul can be. At the Ghilaguri relief camp there are 1,526 people from 10 villages. Every day they have to cook a quintal of rice to feed them. The rice is piled in a great snowy mound. Watery dal cooks in a huge pot. Lines of women and children sit in the sun, some under colourful umbrellas waiting for their daily meal, the same every day. "The government gives us rice, dal, oil and salt. That's it," says Kuran Ali, member of the central executive of the All Assam Minority Students Union. "Everything else is donation from the public."

At the Basugaon camp, every family gets its rations – 600 gm of rice for adults, 400 gm for minors, 100 gm of dal and 30 gm of salt. Sandip R0y/Firstpost

"We understand our plight, But the children are small. They cry for fish. They fight when they eat rice and dal everyday," says Fatima Bibi. At the Basugaon camp, every family gets its rations – 600 gm of rice for adults, 400 gm for minors, 100 gm of dal and 30 gm of salt.

The families have to scrounge for firewood to cook on and beg and borrow pots to cook in. There are potatoes available in the market outside for Rs 30 a kg and chillis for Rs 200 a kg. No one can touch them.



The youngest refugee

Amidst all the stories of loss and despair, oblivious to the anxiety around her, a baby sleeps. She was born a day after her pregnant mother managed to make it to the Nankargaon camp.

Amidst all the stories of loss and despair, oblivious to the anxiety around her, a baby sleeps. She was born a day after her pregnant mother managed to make it to the Nankargaon camp. Sandip Roy/Firstpost

She sleeps on the ground under a little pink mosquito net, covered with a blanket – all donations from well-wishers. Her grandfather, a hollow-eyed man named Abdul Shaikh, says the family of seven barely made it here, soaked in rain, with only the clothes on their back. "But at least she was not born on the road," he says.

The baby has a black smudge on her forehead to ward off the evil eye. Her name is Sobura Khatun, the village schoolteacher says, like the word sobur for patience.

She will need plenty of that in the days to come as the refugees of Assam wait to go back home.

 

[Ray]

OK.

I appreciate the work being done for the Muslim displaced.

Anything being done for the Bodos?

It is their land after all!

 

[Oracle]

OK.

I appreciate the work being done for the Muslim displaced.

Anything being done for the Bodos?

It is their land after all!

The reason why Muslims were displaced is the reason why Bodos are in their own lands.

But yes, in all these mayhem, Muslims burnt Bodo villages where they are in a majority. Bodos burnt Muslim villages, where they are in a majority.

 

[ani82v]

The reason why Muslims were displaced is the reason why Bodos are in their own lands.

You said, Muslims, do you mean that Bangladeshi/Assamese/Bengali Muslims are one now?

But yes, in all these mayhem, Muslims burnt Bodo villages where they are in a majority. Bodos burnt Muslim villages, where they are in a majority.

I don't think one can blame bodos for violence when their land is being overrun by Immigrants and Govt is a silent spectator!

 

[Raj30]

Muslim outfits under lens in Assam, Manipur - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: As fresh incidents were reported in lower Assam districts amid growing suspicion of 'external' links to the violence, central agencies have put 14 organizations -- operating in the troubled areas -- under the scanner.

The state, on its part, on Tuesday recommended CBI probe into the violence which claimed 73 lives. The cases will be handed over to the central agency in the next few days.

"The Centre will on Thursday send a special team, comprising home ministry officials, to Guwahati to decide on which particular cases from among the FIRs registered by the local police would be taken up for probe by the CBI," said an official.

Referring to the organizations under the scanner of agencies, sources said a list of 14 such groups was prepared by intelligence agencies after inputs suggested that their activities were inimical to peace and social harmony.

"All these organizations have come into existence in the last 20 years. While many of them are believed to have external links, some are engaged in militant activities," an official said.

The organizations are Muslim Security Council of Assam, United Liberation Militia of Assam, Islamic Liberation Army of Assam, Muslim Volunteer Force, Muslim Liberation Army, Muslim Security Force, Islamic Sevak Sanng and Islamic United Reformation Protest of India.

Others include Revolutionary Muslim Commandos, Muslim Tiger Force, Muslim Liberation Front, Muslim Liberation Tigers of Assam, Muslim United Liberation Front of Assam and Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam.

Intelligence agencies also prepared a list of five organizations operating in Manipur -- Islamic National Front, Islamic Revolutionary Front, United Islamic Liberation Army, United Islamic Revolutionary Army and People's United Liberation Front.