Conflict,
Reconciliation, Issues and Challenges of Scheduled Areas in Assam
The root causes of past conflicts
in this region are ever un-communicated facts with the present world by the
book. Politically oversensitive people of this age see all things from their
own way of thinking only. They always attempt to come to a conclusion with the
notion that the right enjoyed by them is not for others. We have the tradition
of making pro-majority judgment in most of the issues for the convenience of
the establishment. Ethnic Minorities are always judged with sympathy only not
with dignity. The words ‘Aborigines’ and ‘Indigenous’ are accepted concept by
our historical tradition, present constitution and United Nations’ declaration
also. But we are always confused with the rights and privileges to be enjoyed
by them in reality. The issue of rights of aboriginal or indigenous people in
India is still done on experimental basis because we lack common policy.
India’s declared policy never appreciated the question of Indigenous or
aboriginal people’s right. That is the
reason as to why the status of one’s living is very often questioned by others
and that opens spaces for the crisis of ethnicity.
The ethnic crisis in all over the world has
always challenged the conventional political, constitutional and social
systems. The Sinhalese-Tamil crisis of Sri Lanka or Ethnic conflict in Pakistan
is practically the conflict between the native and non-native origin. Unusually
Pakistan’s ethnic conflict is within same cultural and religious group of
people, where the question of native and migrants is the root of the
causes. Such ethnocentric conflicts are
often followed by upsurge of separatist movement and such movements are known
as rightist’s movement. Where democratic
institutions do not work properly, conflict rules the human society. India is a country of largest democracy by
constitutional feature having more than half century tradition of democratic
functioning. But in multi-party system, majorities always rule and the
minorities become unprivileged in all respect. What is minority in true sense?
Does our constitution correctly define the meaning of minority? We only know
two kinds of minority, first - the linguistic minority and second - the
religious minority. But we have also another kind of minority i.e. Numerical
Minorities of different cultural and religious groups. Their language and
cultures are always undocumented and not recognized and they are literally the
true minority in conditions of their strength. Tribal are one of such kind of
minority groups of people, their status in the country is always
questioned. Constitutionally privileged
tribal are in point of fact politically disadvantaged group. They have still
the question of survival and existence in this country where they need to
struggle in the every phases of time. In
the 21st century the tribal up-rise has remarkably occupied
political arena in the country, particularly in NE region. Births of Jhahrkhand
and Chatisgarh states are also essentially an end result of tribal upsurge.
Origins of Bodoland Territorial Councils and some Autonomous Councils in the
name of Rabha, Mishing, Tiwa, Sonowal, Deouri etc in Assam are also outcome of
tribal up-rises in the last some decades. Certain areas have been demarcated as
the tribal autonomous areas in Assam where both tribal and non-tribal are
sizeably populous. Drawing the line of
demarcation of rights and powers between tribal and non-tribal may be defined
in the constitution but our political culture is still not strong enough to
create the situation where a proper understanding can guide the people in
respect of peaceful co-existence.
The recent conflict in BTAD has raised some
new areas of problems in the administration of Scheduled area. The multiplicity
of issues and varied characteristics of the same increased the deepness of the
problem as a whole. The prevalent political health of the state is the
responsible for the conflict. We have the history of ethnic conflict since the
long decades back in the state. Our every movement in the past has been
ethnocentric and same is commanding at present also. Sense of communal divide always rule the
political stages of the state and so everything of politics, economy, social,
language and cultures are streamlined in
that way. The unending issue of Bangladeshi infiltration in the state appears
to be root of fomenting popular opinion for some conflicts that had taken place
in the past. On the other hand tribal people have the problem of land
alienation, economic exploitation and marginalization of their population.
Bigger issues like Bangladeshi infiltration, NRC updating and sealing of
Indo-Bangla border have been intersected by the core issues of the tribal.
Constitutional issues like protection and preservation of tribal land,
language, culture and uplifting their economy always remain far from priority.
Never in the past had the every Government successfully answered to all these
questions. Reconciliation and peaceful co-existence could have been easier had
every successive Government been able to arrive at logical conclusion in those
questions.
Restoration of social balance has
been prime cause of concern in Assam today which is lost somewhere in the
course of time. Settlement of core issues is always pre-condition to the
permanent peace in any particular area. For that some fundamental issues need
to be settled first on priority basis and fundamental issues in this connection
can be underlined as follows:
1. The
Governments should try to bring about logical conclusion to the never ending
crisis over the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration to the state. The people of
the state should be able to feel that not a single Bangladeshi is present in
the state. For that identification of
illegal infiltrator and deportation of them, the question of NRC update and
sealing Indo-Bangla border has to be completed expediting the constitutional
and legal process.
2. Protection
of tribal lands in tribal area has to be the priority of the Government as
because this is also, at the same time, a constitutional obligation of the
same. Government should be able to ensure that tribal’s rights will remain
protected under any circumstances, their rights and privileges will never be
alienated by the rights of the larger group of people.
3. Law
and order situation should be strengthened to enforce the rule of law in the
region and their duty to protect the lives and properties of each and every
genuine citizen has to be ensured.
4. Political
and social initiative to regain the lost mutual trust and believe among the
conflicting groups of people.
5. All
burning issues including problem of insurgency or militancy should be settled
politically through the means of meaningful dialogue.
Whenever the
issue of conflict is discussed the certain kind of debate between like
Bangladeshi-non-Bangladeshi occupies the prime space. But as stated above
conflict situation is prevalent in the state since long decades back, some
conflicts have no root link directly with that. All conflicts have equal social
ramification which largely affects the economic and political health of the
region. We have witnessed Dimasa-Karbi, Rabha-non-Rabha, Dimasa-Kuki conflicts
also in the recent past. Those conflicts are not derived from the said bigger
issue. How should we judge all those conflicts?
Should we judge them on the basis of the logic that native and non-native fight
for right to claim over certain territory?
No, these are the end result of failure of the Governments in political
approach and legal initiative. Law and order is ever neglected in that region
by the Governments. Burning issues including problems of insurgency or
militancy are kept ever alive due to lack of holistic approach towards the
problems. Very often we blame the gun for prevailing situation. But here in this
region guns are always related to perennial issues and if those are settled
problem of gun will also come down.
In the present
context the concept of exclusive right itself is no-more potential experiment.
The inclusive world will not allow anyone to be so in days to come. But at the
same time the question of ethnic minority’s survival is also to run in parallel
alongside the majority rule. Our democracy has failed to instill human value in
the process of development and growth. Practically our democracy teaches us
only how to govern the people not to take care of them. A constitution cannot
be mere tools to carry forward the certain governance in the country. Rather it
is a theory of ruling welfare nation through which the people can be taken care
of. Present conflicts are in most of the time appears to be effect of utter
failure in the democratic institution in pursuing sense of unity integrity
among all sections of people. Good
governance brings stability and bad governance creates threat to that. The causes and impact of conflict may be
changing time to time. But unless the democratic and scientific temper is
developed in the society through the
good governance such conflict may not come to an end through mere social
and intellectual discourse.
