GUWAHATI, Dec 29: Violent inter-tribes conflicts confined to the two hill districts and tribal groups demand for right to determine their fate for themselves have sowed the seed for a new band of complex tribal politics in the State in the year gone by. The early part of the year was marred by violent clashes between majority Dimasa and minority Hmar tribes in North Cachar Hills district which witnessed mindless killings of members of both the tribes at the hands of Hmar and Dimasa militants as well as mob frenzy hitherto uncharacteristic in the tribal society in the State.
Scores of lives were lost while property worth lakhs of Rupees were razed to the ground during the clashes between Dimasa and Hmar tribes in North Cachar Hills district during the first part of the year. Hundreds of Hmar people fled to neighbouring Mizoram and Manipur to escape the fury of Dimasas. Similar fate awaited Dimasas living in pockets surrounded by Hmar community.
It was widely reported in the media that the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), which declared unilateral truce with Government of India at the dawn of the year 2003, was directly involved in the ethnic flare-up to counter the threat posed by Hmar People?s Convention (HPC) militants. The HPC ultras stoked the fire initially by killing over 30 Dimasas living in interior Cachar district along Assam-Manipur boundary.
The retaliation by DHD began in North Cachar Hills where Dimasa and Hmar communities have been so far living at peace. What followed in subsequent months strained the relation between the two communities beyond repair. It is believed that in the wake of the DHD which was promoted by the Naga rebels as a tool to extort money in the two hill districts by selling them the dream of a separate ?Dimaraji State, declaring the truce its rivals in the underground incited the HPC to create trouble in the NC Hills so that the DHD is provoked to react and the peace initiative becomes a casualty.
The sections of the Dimasa society which have been wary of rapid progress made by the minority but hardworking Hmar community in different spheres of the society in the hill district, did not want to let the opportunity to go waste and went all out to vent their pent up frustration against innocent members of Hmar community. As usual the common members of Dimasa community were the targets of the retaliation by Hmar militants.
It needed enormous effort on the part of non-government organisations and social groups as well as police and the Army to quell the ethnic flare-up in the NC Hill only to erupt again in another hill district between Karbi and Kuki tribes in the later part of the year. The situation in Karbi Anglong which witnesses worst ever ethnic violence in its history, is still burning after loss over 35 lives belonging to both Kuki and Karbi communities and destruction of scores of villages by tribal militant outfits.
The spark of the flare-up in Karbi Anglong was triggered when the Karbi militant outfit, United People Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) imposed ban on ginger cultivation and trade by Kukis living in the remote Singhason Hill areas. It drew the ire of Kuki militant outfit, Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) while started attacking Karbi villages in retaliation against the UPDS. The attacks and counter attacks on both the communities by these two rival militant outfits took heavy toll on lives and property in interior parts of Karbi Anglong where the seed of mistrust has been sown for good between the two tribes because of mindless killings resorted to by two trigger-happy outfits.
The situation in Karbi Anglong has been complicated more with KRA raising the demand for a regional Kuki council in the hill district. Fearing more trouble Assam government has moved the Centre demanding a ban on KRA which was originally formed in Manipur. Even as the two hill districts remained volatile, the plains tribes like Mising, Lalung-Tiwa, Rabha-Hasong started demanding more autonomy as was granted to Bodo community as per the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) pact signed amongst the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), Central government and the State government under the provisions of the amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
These communities are now threatening to intensify their movement for more autonomy stating that present autonomy granted to them as per the State Act were not sufficient to protest their rights and tribal identity. Leaders of Rabha-Hasong community have even stated that armed struggle may be the only option left before them to press for their demand for more autonomy.
The upsurge of ethnicity in the post BTC Accord has made the political leadership in the State to sit up and take notice. The matter was seriously discussed in the just concluded December session of Assam Assembly by members belonging all the party after the attention of the House was drawn to the burning issue by Congress MLA from Mising community-dominated Majuli constituency.
Unless urgent steps are not taken by the political leadership in Assam to delve deep into the problem of tribal communities in the State who have failed to keep pace with the development and urbanisation, serious trouble is brewing for the State in coming years.