User:Sailingsmooth5/Bodo Conflict

The Bodo Conflict refers to the ongoing ethnic tensions and intermittent clashes in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam, India. This conflict is primarily rooted in the demographic composition of the region, where the Bodo community constitutes only 23% of the local population, while the remaining 77% comprises Adivasis, Bengali Hindus, Bengali Muslims, and Assamese Hindus. These tensions have led to sporadic outbreaks of violence, displacement of thousands, and a complex socio-political situation.

Bodo Conflict
Part of Insurgency in Northeast India
Date March 2, 1987 – Present Location Bodoland Territorial Region, Assam, India Result Ceasefire, occasional ethnic tension September 1, 1989: Peace agreement, immediately violated February 20, 1993: Establishment of Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) and Bodoland Executive Council (BEC) February 10, 2003: Memorandum of Settlement signed, establishment of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) December 6, 2003: Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) completes disarmament May 25, 2005: Ceasefire agreement signed between main faction of NDFB and the Government of India Jan 27, 2020: The Third Bodo Accord is signed between the NDFB and the Government of India Mar 10 2020: The NDFB completes disbandment Jul 13, 2021: The NLFB disbands itself, becoming the last Bodo militant group to do so
Belligerents
Government of Assam	NDFB	BLTF	Adivasi Cobra Force
Commanders and leaders
Various	Upendra Nath Bramha (1987-2005)	Prem Singh Brahma Hagrama Mohilary	Durga Minz Xabrias Khakha Kandu Murmu
Strength
Unknown	Unknown	2,647 armed cadres (at surrender)	100-350+
Casualties and losses
Hundreds 167+ killed by NDFB alone (1992-2001)	Thousands 375+ killed by Security Forces alone (1992-2001)	unknown	unknown
Thousands of civilians killed ~5,000 Bodo activists killed 8,000-20,000 killed (1996-97 only) 100,000 Total deaths

Background

Historical Context

The Adivasis, originally settled by British rulers after the Santhal uprising in 1855, played a crucial role in the economic activities of Assam, particularly in agriculture and tea estates. The Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act granted them the right to reside in forests, a provision later repealed by the Assam government. The denial of Scheduled Tribe status to the Adivasis, ostensibly to protect the status of the Bodo community, has been a source of contention.
Over the Bodoland Territorial Region, Bodos only made up 31.5% of the population, with other minorities, namely the Bengali, Assamese, Rajbongshi, and Adivasi peoples making up the remaining amount. Of these groups, all have formed their own militant groups and clashes with Bodo insurgents (as well as with the Central Government and each other).

Rising Nationalism

The British authorities began a modernization program in Bodoland starting in the 1800s. For the Bodo people, however, modernization brought little progress and instead stifled their identity. They faced assimilation into the Assamese or other communities, leading to a loss of confidence as a distinct group. In 1929, Bodo Leader Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma initiated a religio-social reformation movement among the Bodo people, inspired by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, to restore self-confidence and address social issues. He also asked the British authorities to provide a separate administrative unit for the Bodo, which was denied. The Tribal League and later the Plains Tribal Council of Assam aimed to voice tribal grievances, including the aspiration for an Autonomous State. However, political leaders failed to meet the expectations of the people, leading to division and polarization. Bodo nationalists created the All Bodo Students’ Union in February 1967, in order to promote an independent Bodo state, and Bodo nationalists began to call for a separate "Udayachal due to an influx in illegal immigrants. By the late 1980s, there was growing demand among the youth for a separate state, but political leaders struggled to fulfill this aspiration, leading to further division among the people. After the upheavals of the Assam Movement and the subsequent mass violence, Ranjan Daimary formed the Bodo Security Force, an armed Bodo nationalist militia, on October 3, 1986.

Insurgency/Conflict

For a more comprehensive list, see List of major violent incidents during the Bodo conflict.

Beginning on March 2, 1987, Upendra Nath Brahma, the president of the ABSU, began a movement against the Government of Assam, campaigning for Bodo statehood. While the ABSU's aims were largely peaceful, the movement was mired by incidents of violence by both sides and escalating radicalism and militancy. Concurrent to the movement, the Bodo Security Force, alongside other groups, began a series of violent attacks.

Early Violence

Violence would begin to intensify by 1988. After a series of violent attacks by ABSU cadres, Assamese security personnel would rape 11 women in the Bhumka Mass Rape Incident on January 1988. From February 6th to the 11th, 24 people were killed during a violent 5-day general strike, with attacks on police, bombings, arsons, train derailments, and looting being reported. Again, during the first two weeks of March 1989, 32 people would be killed in more violent outbursts, forcing the Assamese Government to call in the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force. ABSU-led groups would loot arms deposits and would engage in banditry and arson, especially against non-Bodo residents, who would flee to neighboring areas. Armed Bodos began to train and organize in the hills bordering Bhutan, leading to large-scale combing operations in the region. On March 27, 1989, security forces would kill 10 Bodos. In April of 1989, armed Bodo attacks killed 62 people, and hundreds more would die in related violence in the region.

Rise of Organized Militancy

Like many other ethnonationalist movements within the seven sister states at the time, the Bodo movement was violently xenophobic and frequently came into conflict with non-Bodos, who at the time formed the majority of the population in the areas claimed by Bodo nationalists. As a result, they would often conduct violent pogroms and campaigns of ethnic cleansing against the non-Bodo populace.

Establishment of the BAC and Internecine Conflict

On November 25, 1994, the Bodo Security Force would rechristen itself to the National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Later on, on June 18, 1996, Prem Singh Brahma and Hagrama Mohilary would form the Bodo Liberation Tigers Force, hoping to carve out a separate state or other autonomous area for the Bodos.
The BLTF was mostly Hindu, whereas the NDFB was mostly Christian. Due to various tensions and power struggles, the two factions would begin to clash with each other, leading to hundreds of deaths.
Meanwhile, the ABSU, being a largely peaceful organization, began to take a harder stance against militancy during the 1990s, causing tensions between it and more militant groups in the region. On July 30, 1996, Jwhwlao Swmbla Basumatary, the President of the ABSU, was assassinated by unknown individuals. The date has since been commemmorated annually as anti-terrorism day in Bodoland.
Over the course of the late 1990s, hundreds of people would be killed by all sides, with both the NDFB and the BLTF killing hundreds of civilians, mostly non-Bodos, in several dozen massacres.
On June 8, 1999, the BLTF and the NDFB stated that they would end their rivalry and pool together resources to create a separate Bodo state. However, for unclear reasons, this never occurred, as both sides continued to engage in persistent deadly clashes.Since July 14, 1999, the Bodo Liberation Tigers Force observed a ceasefire with the Government of India, following an appeal for peace by the latter. The ceasefire was formalized in March 2000. On December 21, 2000, the BLTF would kill 16 civilians across Barpeta, Darrang and Nalbari districts.

Establishment of the BTC and Operations in South Bhutan

Despite the occasional violence, talks with the BLTF and Government of India continued in earnest throughout the next few years. The Assamese State Cabinet formally approved the formation of Bodoland Territorial Council, as demanded by the BLTF, on February 13, 2002. Despite tense arguments, and the BLTF on numerous occasions threatening to pull out of the talks, on January 18 2003 the Government of Assam would approve the signing of a memorandum of settlement between the Government of India and the BLTF.
On February 10, 2003, the Memorandum of Settlement on the Bodoland Territorial Council was signed between the BLTF and the GoI, setting up the Bodoland Territorial Council. On May 27, 2003, the Bodoland Autonomous Council would be dissolved in order to create the BTC. On October 30, 2003, the Assamese Government and the BLTF would come to an agreement on the final creation of the BTC, and by December 7, 2003, a 12-member interim executive council of the BTC is administered oath of office in Kokrajhar. On December 6, 2003, the BLTF would completely disarm itself, having succeeded in achieving autonomy.
However, not all Bodo were happy with the memorandum. Following the establishment of the Bodoland Territorial Council, dissent from Bodo nationalists led to a resurgence of NDFB activity, who would go on to kill numerous ex-BLTF militants. Despite the BLTF's disarmament, violent incidents involving ex-cadres of the group would continue, as they would often find themselves the target of deadly retaliation from the NDFB, and would sometimes even retaliate violently against the NDFB's provocations. Furthermore, non-Bodo groups also opposed the creation of the council. The Sanmilita Janagosthiya Sangram Samiti would hold numerous Bandhs against the council's creation during this time, leading to sporadic clashes and violence.

NDFB-GoI Ceasefire Agreement

On October 8, 2004, the NDFB announced a 6-month ceasefire with the 'Government of India, starting on October 15. The GoI did not reciprocate, continuing operations against the NDFB. After the "ceasefire period" expired, the NDFB extended the ceasfire starting April 15. The Assam Government would later release NDFB's general secretary, Govinda Basumatary, in order to start a channel of negotiation with NDFB leadership in Bangladesh. Several parleys of talks would be held throughout the state and New Delhi, until a tripartite accord was signed, leading to a formal ceasefire. However, the NDFB would factionalize, rendering the ceasefire largely ineffective.

Mid-2010s Resurgence

In 2012, riots in Kokrajhar district killed over a hundred people, mostly Bengali Muslims. Over 400,000 new refugees were placed in camps due to the clashes in 2014, displaced into 270 camps away from 400 villages. The refugees were spread across Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baeksa, Sonitpur, and Chingra districts.

2020 Tripartite Bodo Accord

On January 27, 2020, all factions of the NDFB, along with the ABSU and UBPO, signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of India. In accordance with the accord, 1,615 members of the NDFB laid down arms in January 2020.

Twilight of Insurgency

Following the disbandment of the NDFB, M Batha, alias Binod Mushahary, a former NDFB commander, alongside a few other ex-rebels, formed the National Liberation Front of Bodoland due to dissatisfaction with the accord. The group's existence was announced in March 2021, despite it having organized itself for a few months by that point. The group primarily engaged in extortion in the Bodo hills.
On July 13, 2021, one of the group's district commanders was killed in an encounter at Dimachang, in Udalguri district, Assam. Following this, the NLFB's chief, M Batha, surrendered along with 22 associates at Lalpool Police outpost in Udalguri District. The group was forced to surrender due to intensified counter-insurgency operations around the Arunachal-Myanmar border, where the group had primarily operated for the past 5 months. The surrendered cadres included the group's chairman, vice-chairman, and military chief (Batha).
From then until October 2023, another 141 militants of the outfits surrendered to the Government of Assam, bringing the total amount of surrendered NLFB members to 164. Not all of these surrenders were peaceful; in one instance from April 1, 2022, 2 cadres of the outfit were injured in a gunfight with security forces at Bhalukpong, in Sonitpur District. Following the incident, 6 cadres of the group surrendered, with another 6 leaving the area.

Current Situation

Despite reassurances from political figures, there is a pervasive sentiment of discrimination against Adivasis and other non-Bodo communities.
In January of 2024, NLFB cadres were allegedly forced out of their camps in a bid to get them to disband, reigniting tensions between the outfit and the Government of India.

Death Toll

The conflict has resulted in a significant loss of life, with reports suggesting that thousands have lost their lives in the Bodoland struggle.

Humanitarian Crisis

The conflict has led to the displacement of thousands of people, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.

Key Issues

Disparities and Grievances

Prominent academic Bhaskar Nandi has highlighted the need to reevaluate the Bodoland Accord, emphasizing that disregarding the aspirations of the 77% non-Bodo population to accommodate the 23% Bodo population is constitutionally problematic. Extortions, kidnappings, and attacks on Adivasis, Bengali-speaking Muslims, and Hindus have been recurrent features, further deepening grievances.

Developmental Disparities

There is a perception among non-Bodo communities that the Bodoland Territorial Council tends to focus developmental efforts on Bodo-dominated areas, neglecting the non-Bodo regions. This has generated resentment among the majority non-Bodo population who feel governed by a minority.

Political Standpoints

Various political figures, including Kokrajhar MP Heera Saraniya and BJP state president Siddhartha Bhattacharya, have echoed concerns about the Accord's implications. They argue that the accord has given undue leverage to the Bodo community without adequately considering the aspirations of other communities.