The Times of India - Aug 30, 2012
EDITORIAL
With the death toll in Assam crossing 90, ethnic violence in the state is mutating into a dangerous beast. What started as a conflict between Bodo tribals and Bengali-speaking Muslims in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts has now spread to other districts of the state. And as exemplified by this month's exodus of northeast people from other parts of the country, the violence in Assam has repercussions that go well beyond the state. In such a scenario, it's indeed worrisome that groups with vested interests are looking to fish in troubled waters. This was evident during the recent tit-for-tat statewide bandhs called by the Bajrang Dal and Muslim groups. Meanwhile, the anti-talks faction of the Ulfa has threatened retaliatory violence if targeting of Assamese youth in other parts of the country doesn't stop.
Though the state government claims that a sizeable number of those taking shelter in relief camps are gradually returning home, the situation continues to remain tense. The Bodoland People's Front has demanded that inmates of relief camps be rehabilitated only after verifying their credentials. On the other hand, Muslim groups insist that the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) be dissolved altogether. However, whether it is illegal migration of Bangladeshis or the hegemony of the Bodos in the BTC, the situation has reached a point where diagnosis and remedy of the root cause of the problem ought to be postponed to a later date. What is required is an immediate clampdown on the spreading violence. For this the local administration and security agencies need to get tough with the perpetrators. Meantime, the political leadership of the state must form a united front against the purveyors of communal agendas who threaten to turn Assam into a raging inferno.
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