Assam has been suffering from ethnic violence and unrest for more than a month now. DNA takes a look at where it all started as it chronicles the violence in the Northeastern state.
Assam has been suffering from ethnic violence and unrest for more than a month now. <i>DNA</i> takes a look at where it all started as it chronicles the violence in the Northeastern state.
Tensions between the Bodos and Bangladeshi Muslims
The first instance of violence broke out on July 20, 2012 as per reports in the media. The Bodos are the indigenous inhabitants of Assam, they felt that increasing migration by Bangladeshis to India and Assam in particular was the cause of them being unable to get the access to land, jobs and other requirements as the Bangladeshis provided competition to what was rightfully the Bodos'.
These competitive strains had made the relationship between the Bodos and the Muslims very volatile. The Nellie massacre after the controversial 1983 Assam state elections in which more than 3,000 people were killed was an outcome of the simmering anger and hatred between the two communities.
Kokrajhar violence
On July 23, 2012, ethnic violence in Assam was reported. The violence was very severe in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts which led the government to issue shoot-at-sight orders in Kokrajhar and to impose curfew indefinitely in both districts.
Many people were killed in the violence and the aftermath. As the government deployed the Indian Army and paramilitary forces to curb the violence, many people from Kokrajhar district fearing for their life began to flee to other parts of Assam and neighbouring states.
Fresh reports of violence were reported in the month of August as well. Various youth wings and other groups stages bandhs in the district that saw outbreaks of violence as they were executed
Students attacked in Pune
On August 8 and 9, 2012, some Manipuris were attacked in Pune as per media reports. There were also reports of students and professionals being beaten up by Muslims in Pune's Kondhwa and Poona College areas. These attacks led to panic among other Northeast students in the country who started feeling threatened and unsafe.
Azad Maidan incident, a fallout of the violence
On August 11, 2012, a protest was carried out against the riots in Assam and attacks on Muslims in Burma at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The protest was organised by Raza Academy and two other groups the Sunni Jamaitul Ulma and Jamate Raza-e-Mustafa attended the protest.
Violence broke out during this protest with media and police vans being torched and police having to resort to lathi charge as protesters showed provocative pictures of the Assam violence. Many policemen, media persons and rioters were injured in the violence.
The Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial for martyred soldiers in South Mumbai was also desecrated during the riot.
Exodus in the rest of the country
The incidents in Assam, Pune and Mumbai spread a fear psychosis in the minds of Northeastern people studying and working all over the country, These Northeasterners began to flee from places like Bangalore, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The Northeast people alleged that they received SMS and MMS threats that if they did not leave and go back to their respective hometowns they would be killed by Muslims after Ramzan was over i.e. after August 20, 2012.
The Railways saw overcrowded trains as people were in a hurry to rush back home as they feared for their lives. The police in all these cities provided safety assurance to the Northeastern people and managed to calm the exodus to some extent.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}