‘Ethnic cleansing’ of Muslims on in Assam

Submitted by Tarique Anwar on 6 October 2008 - 4:11pm.
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: What is happening in Assam is not a communal violence, nor is it just a campaign against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Rather, it is a well planned ethnic cleansing of Muslims, said Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, president of Assam United Democratic Front (UDF), a Muslim political party having 10 MLAs in the current Assembly.
Talking to TwoCircles.net from Darrang district in Assam today, Maulana Ajmal, who is also state president of Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, said: “Situation is tense but under control, more than 100 people have been killed in the ongoing violence and 200 critically injured.” Thousands of houses have been burnt and more than 1,20,000 people who have been rendered homeless have taken shelter in relief camps.
In the fresh spate of violence specifically targeting Muslims erupted on Friday in mainly three districts – Darrang, Udalguri and Baksa – and according to the official figure 35 people have been killed.
Today, however, no violence was reported. According to sources several victims have bullet injuries.
“The violence began on August 14 when in an incident 19 people were killed. The month of Ramazan, however, remained mostly peaceful. The violence again broke out in the night of Eid,” said Maulana Ajmal blaming the Congress-led state government for not controlling the violence and killings by the Bodo miscreants for political reasons.
“The violence against Muslims is politically motivated. Bodos are part of the state coalition government. They are in the ministry. As elections are round the corner, the government does not want to take action against the Bodo miscreants. It does not want to antagonize them, otherwise it could have controlled the situation,” points out Maulana Ajmal.
The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which the government says has perpetrated the systematic ethnic cleansing, is a rebel group fighting for an independent tribal homeland. NDFB is against the Bodo group which is part of the government.
The Bodo group that is part of the government is Bodo Territorial Council (BTC). BTC was formed after the Union government signed a peace accord with the then militant group Bodoland Tiger Force in 2003. The Force has since been disbanded and its members have joined BTC. Interestingly, the violence was launched by the NDFB militants in the BTC-controlled area, says an IANS report adding that the former Bodoland Tiger Force and the NDFB are at war for territorial supremacy.
As the NDFB is currently in a ceasefire mode with Central government since 2005, the Bodo group in the government wants to exploit the situation in its favor by pressing the government to again clamp a ban on NDFB so that they could sweep the coming elections, observes Maualan Ajmal and adds that Muslims have been made scapegoat in the internal Bodo politics keenly watched and supported by the Congress government.
In the violence-hit three districts Muslims constitute around 40% (roughly 3-3.5 lakh) of the population. Bodos are in majority and demand a Bodoland. Despite the overwhelming presence of Muslims in the region, the community was not made part of the accord New Delhi signed with the Bodoland Tiger Force, points out Maulana Ajmal adding that had Muslims been made party to the accord the situation would not have been such.
Director of Markazul Maarif (Mumbai) Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi who keeps an eye on the developments in Assam told TwoCircles.net from Mumbai that in the violence-hit region Muslims have been living for 200 years, so it is absurd to say they are illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
“When these victims will move to the mainland, they will be branded as Bangladeshi illegal migrants as their houses have been burnt down and their documents of citizenship have lost,” points out Maulana Qasmi.
Maulana Ajmal was going on a foreign trip but as the news of violence came he cancelled the trip and rushed to Assam. Currently he is in Darrang, one of the three violence-hit districts.
His party UDF is making all efforts to establish peace in the region. Talking to TCN he demanded compensation for the victims and their proper and complete rehabilitation.
“UDF wants peace, compensation to the victims and their rehabilitation,” says Maulana. He is much concerned about the rehabilitation.
“In 1993 when the Congress was in power Bodos launched violence against Muslims. About 45,000 Muslims are still in camps. Congress again is in power and more than 1,20,000 are now in relief camps. We demand the government to ensure proper and complete rehabilitation for the victims,” he says.
The current victims have taken shelter in schools and madrasas. When these institutions will open, the victims will have to face problems.