[ALOCHONA] Conflict and contentions in Assam

Conflict and contentions in Assam



ULFA & The Insurgency in Assam
by Mahfuz Ullah
Adorn Publications
March 2012
Price: Tk. 750; USD 20

In the northeast of the great democracy known as India, lies the Seven Sisters -- the states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal. And Assam is known as the gateway to northeast India.

Political unrest and armed conflict has long afflicted these northeastern states. Foreigners are barred from entry to this region. All seven states have armed insurgent groups who are fighting for independence. The largest and strongest of the lot is the United Liberation Force of Assam (ULFA). It was established in 1979 and over the past three decades its insurgent activities have caught international attention.

Perhaps the majority of Bangladeshis do not know much about ULFA, but those living near the Assam border are well aware about this militant organisation and its activities. And through this book, veteran journalist and political analyst Mahfuz Ullah reveals interesting details of this group and the prevailing situation in the region. The book, ULFA and The Insurgency in Assam, was published in March this year. This perhaps is the first book published in Bangladesh about ULFA.

The writer has filled the pages of the book with detailed research and investigation. He says that he has drawn from various books, the Internet and interviews of various ULFA leaders to get in-depth information on the issue. He had also interviewed ULFA's Foreign Secretary Shashadhar Chowdhury in person at the Weekly Onnesha's office. Mahfuz Ullah had been Editor of Onnesha at the time. Several key articles of the ULFA newsletter Freedom have also been included in this book.

During the last rule of Sheikh Hasina, on December 21, 1997, ULFA's Secretary General Anup Chetia (Golap Barua) was arrested from Mohammedpur in Dhaka, creating a sensation in the media. His sentence has been served, but he still remains in Jail. India, in the meanwhile, has been asking Bangladesh to hand him over. However, due to keen monitoring by human rights groups and also the absence of an extradition treaty, the government is not being able to easily hand over Anup Chetia to India.

ULFA once again came into the limelight when 10 trucks of arms were caught in Chittagong during the last rule of the four-party alliance government. It was said that ULFA's top leaders were directly involved in this matter. It was clear that ULFA had a firm foothold in Bangladesh. When the Sheikh Hasina's government came to power in Bangladesh, India stepped up its watch on ULFA.

During Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in 2010 and also during Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in 2011, both the Prime Ministers laid stress on security and anti-terrorism issues. And it was during this government's rule that several ULFA leaders were apprehended and arrested in Bangladesh. These included Shashadhar Chowdhury and Chitraban Hazarika in 2009 and, on December 3 the same year, ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkowa and others. There was a lot of speculation at the time as to whether these leaders were arrested on Bangladesh's soil or in India, but the fact remains that they were arrested on consensus of the governments of both countries.

These arrested led to fresh polarisation in ULFA leadership. ULFA's military chief Paresh Barua luckily managed to escape arrest. It is reported that Arabinda Rajkowa and other ULFA leaders under arrest in India opted for compromise with the government. On the other hand, Paresh Barua and his followers continue in their struggle.

On November 23, 2011, the pro-Paresh Barua faction formed their new 16-member central committee. Arabinda and his people have not been included in this committee. It is assumed that Paresh Barua is presently in China.

These facts concerning ULFA are nothing new, but have been published here and there in a scattered manner. Mafuz Ullah's job has been to get all this information together to come up with a comprehensive whole.

The question is, why has such an insurgent outfit grown in an independent sovereign country? Why has there been so much unrest and conflict? The answer to this lies in the history of these seven states lying in India's northeastern region. ULFA and The Insurgency in Assam has answers to many of these questions. It reveals much about the birth of ULFA, its growth, its armed struggler and the blood-stained history of Assam.

In countries all over the world, the governments use their armed forces mercilessly to root out such organisations which uphold the freedom of their people. Little heed is paid to human rights. The Indian government is no exception. Military presence is constant in Assam and the general people have to bear the consequences.

ULFA leader Shashadhar Chowdhury, presently incarcerated, has said, "We consider historically Assam is ethnically a separate entity from India. Besides, we are long victims of politico- economic disparity of the Government of India. We want to make it clear that we were never a part of India. The British rulers occupied Assam on 24 February 1826, using the Yandabao Agreement signed with the then ruler of Myanmar General Minijimaha Tilwar. Before that, Assam was never a part of India. The whole of Assam has been made a colony of India as the Government of India is trying to perpetuate its political rule over Assam to exploit the vast natural and mineral resources of Assam. So to break the chains of exploitation and deprivation, the only instrument of the people of Assam is the struggle for independence."

Referring to the 1971 independence struggle of Bangladesh, this leader says, "Once the people of Bangladesh fought for the independence. Today, we are also fighting for our independence. We are in no way involved in any terrorist activities."

The book under review has not only highlighted ULFA activities, but has also brought forth the history of Assam to its present. It speaks of the prevailing circumstances in Assam, the socio-economic situation and gives a picture of its culture and politics.

The place Kamrup Kamakhya in Assam was well-known to the people of this country as the source of magic and spells. Many would even travel to the place to learn the magical spells. The writer also dwells on the history of Kamrup Kamakhya. In the past, Western Assam was known as Kamrup. According to legend, when Shiva carried the body of his beloved Sati and a magical maelstrom, bits of her body fell here and there, creating sacred soil wherever they fell. One of her vital organs (probably her sexual organ) fell on the Kamakhya mount and that is where the Kamakhya Temple was created."

The book also talks about the neglected Bengali populace of Assam. In 1946, the Indian government incited an 'Oust Bengali' movement. In fact, the partition of the country brought about by very biased delineations of Lord Mountbatten and Cyril Radcliff, saw many Bengali speaking persons remaining in Assam, rather than in East Pakistan. It became hard for them to establish their rights and have always been treated with hatred.

The people of Assam are locally known as Ahamiya. Assam is also referred to as Aham or Asom. Asom means 'unequal'. The attitude of India's central government towards the state makes the name Asom relevant. ULFA says that they have taken up arms to save Assam from this inequality. They say, "ULFA is not involved with killing any innocent people. We are fighting against the Indian army and their collaborators... The independence of Assam is our only target and to achieve this, the last person would shed their last drop of blood."

It is hard to say when, if at all, this dream of ULFA will be fulfilled. As an organisation fighting for the independence of their land, they always look towards the people of Bangladesh, just as India stood beside the people of Bangladesh in 1971.

Mahfuz Ullah's book is an interesting look into Assam, its past and its present. He has done a praiseworthy job of bringing out the very essence of Assam and its conflicts.

http://www.probenewsmagazine.com/index.php?index=2&contentId=7995

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