Shinde assures Bodo group, to visit Assam-Bangladesh border

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today assured a three-member All Bodo Students Union delegation, led by its president Pramod Boro, that he would visit the India-Bangladesh border after the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament. “We told Shinde that ABSU is cooperating with the government to bring back peace and prosperity to Assam. We urged the minister to formulate a Central policy for Assam to tackle the multi-pronged problems of tribal land, tribal issues and illegal migration,” Boro told Firstpost from New Delhi over telephone. “Assam is next to Jammu and Kashmir in terms of unrest now,” he said.[caption id=“attachment_437186” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. Image courtesy PIB[/caption] The Bodo population in Assam feels that during the constitution of the Bodoland Territorial Council in 2003 under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution they were not given a fair deal regarding land rights. In the memorandum to the home minister, the team urged the Centre to “take bold initiative for the Protection of Tribal Belts and Blocks under Chapter X of Assam land & revenue regulation Act 1886 by ensuring that the non-tribals are not rehabilitated in the tribal belts and blocks.” The non-upgradation of the National Register of Citizens in the state on the basis of 1971 electoral role is also considered one of the main reasons behind the recurring ethnic and economic struggle. Mentioning about it in the memorandum, the Bodo group wanted the Centre to “take initiative to find a solution of the influx problem in Assam in a time-bound manner and upgrade NRC on the basis of 1971 electoral role without further delay.” The delegation apprised the Union minister that the role of the Centre is a must to maintain peace in Assam. “The Central and the state governments should explore the root causes of the present violence and identify the forces responsible and punished the guilty as per the law of the land,” the memorandum read. “We also requested the minister to go for a time-bound programme and deal with the situation with a firm hand to ensure security,” the ABSU president said. The memorandum submitted to the minister is an indicator that scarcity of land is one of the major causes behind the recent strife between the Bodos and the so-called illegal Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. After the clashes, the Bodo community fears that illegal migrants may be permanently settled in the name of rehabilitation. What is notable from a clause in the memorandum is the lack of complete confidence of the Bodo population in the state government. “Only bona fide citizens should be rehabilitated by making proper scrutiny of the genuineness of the relief inmates on the basis of land document. As land subject is transferred to the BTC authority, the state government should take into confidence the council authority while rehabilitating the relief inmates,” the memorandum said. The Bodo group also attracted the attention of the home minister towards the numerous ceasefires the Centre has declared with many militant groups of the North-East and urged him to vouch for permanent solution. The team also met Union DoNER Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar. “The DoNER minister has responded positively to us,” Boro said. Other members of the delegation included ABSU general secretary Jiron Basumatary and adviser Rwng Gwra Narzary. The ABSU Memorandum Central ABSU Team Met Union Ministers.