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 21^st 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.