ethnic conflicts in Assam

IDP LIVELIHOODS: ENABLING IDP LIVELIHOODS IN WESTERN ASSAM: NOBODYS RESPONSIBILITY

by Uddipana Goswami

Understanding and Managing Conflict Transformation in Assam

by Bibhu Prasad Routray

Published in Times of Assam, 26 July 2011

The 12 July 2011 unilateral ceasefire declaration by the ULFA’s pro-talk faction and the clarification issued by the... more The 12 July 2011 unilateral ceasefire declaration by the ULFA’s pro-talk faction and the clarification issued by the outfit on 23 July that sovereignty for Assam is not in their charter of demands, are welcome developments for the state, which has struggled to break free from the cycle of violence for many years. Although an immediate halt to violence is certainly not on the cards, the consolidation of peace would certainly depend on the direction of negotiations between New Delhi and the ULFA leaders, due to begin in August.

Enabling Idp Livelihoods in Western Assam: Nobody's Responsibility

by Uddipana Goswami

Report on Muslim IDPs in Western Assam

by Uddipana Goswami

In Refugee Watch 29. Kolkata: Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group.

Nobody`s People: Muslim IDPs of Western Assam

by Uddipana Goswami

In Blisters on their Feet: Tales of Internally Displaced Persons in India’s North East. New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Miya Or Axamiya? Migration And Politics Of Assimilation In Assam

by Uddipana Goswami

The Northeast frontier of India situated where South Asia ends and Southeast Asia begins has seen migrations of... more The Northeast frontier of India situated where South Asia ends and Southeast Asia begins has seen migrations of populations both from the east – from Southeast Asia, and from the west – from the Indian subcontinent, since time immemorial. As the gateway to the Northeast, Assam – one of the seven states of this frontier – has for long been in the centre of the turbulence caused by such large scale and long term migration – known by various nomenclatures such as Miya or Sar-Sapori Mussalman but in each case referring to the Muslim migrants from East Bengal, later East Pakistan and now Bangladesh. This paper will trace the history of migration since the colonial period and explore the social, economic and political fallout of the population movement that has sustained till the present. Although legally citizens of India now, these early migrants have however become collectively unwelcome in Assam owing to the fact the illegal immigration from Bangladesh continues even today raising fears over land grabbing, demographic swamping, loss of indigenous identity, religious minoritization and loss of political representation. This paper is concerned with the legal settlers alone and the process of assimilation into the AxamiyÄÂ ‘mainstream’ that they have adopted. The efficacy of this policy of assimilation will be questioned, the fallout of its failure discussed, and possible alternatives explored.

Armed in Northeast India: Special Powers, Act or No Act

by Uddipana Goswami

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 (AFSPA) forms the core of the Indian Government’s relationship with the... more The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 (AFSPA) forms the core of the Indian Government’s relationship with the Northeast region. Fifty years after its inception violence in the region is increasing rather than decreasing. While the AFSPA is central to the ways the state relates to citizens in the region and has been a major catalyst for increasing violence, this paper will not treat the AFSPA as the sole instance of the Indian state’s skewed security regime in the Northeast region, but will instead argue that the act is only a symptom of a larger malaise characterised by alienation, militarisation, and a dangerous counter-insurgency strategy. The fallout has been not merely a brutalisation of the security forces, but a legitimisation of violence. A vicious cycle has been set in motion punctuated by three main dynamics: violence giving birth to more violence, brutalisation eroding ideologies, and state-sanctioned terror engendering a disregard for peaceful alternatives. It is argued that unless the Indian state bases its approach to the region on a proper understanding of the nationalistic aspirations and indigenous and ethnic identities of the people there, this cycle cannot be stopped.

Conflict Transformation in Assam: Lessons and New Challenges

by Bibhu Prasad Routray

Published in Times of Assam, 20 June 2011

Assam is experiencing relative peace after decades. Although incidents like the recovery of an IED from a train in the... more Assam is experiencing relative peace after decades. Although incidents like the recovery of an IED from a train in the Guwahati railway station on 17 June is a stark reminder of  some of the existing problems, the State can certainly boast of having left a violent past behind. The peace talks with the ULFA, scheduled to start in July, if handled carefully, can go a long way in establishing durable peace in this previously turbulent State.

There is no harm in New Delhi displaying magnanimity and an overwhelming element of sincerity to end insurgencies politically. Even when it can not and should not provide any political largesse to the ULFA faction, it can certainly adopt measures for the economic benefit and better governance of the State of Assam. Some success in the talks would be also necessary to force the Paresh Barua group to join the peace process, or become irrelevant. Moreover, a successful culmination of the peace process would also send signals to the other insurgencies in the region and beyond that rebellions do not have to be armed and violent to be successful. Towards that extent, a comprehensive process of dialogue with all the insurgent movements in Assam presently under ceasefire, rather than separate ones with individual outfits, would not be a bad idea.