Bodo Conflicts and Signing of Accords

Abstract

India’s North-East region (NER), comprising of eight states- Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is inhabited by a large number of ethnic groups. The region is juxtaposed with a large number of challenges simultaneously- armed conflict, ethnic conflict, poverty, inequality, etc. A multicultural, poly-ethnic region, ethnicity and the ethno-nationalists sentiments of the numerous communities of the region have often led fanning political and ethnic conflicts. Ethnic violence can be categorised in three different types- first, there is violence fabricated by armed ethnic organisations in order to achieve their goals, often targeted against the government, involving rival organisations in the same ethnic groups or even against civilians belonging to other ethnic groups. Second, violence is set up by student (and other) organisations, including protests against the government through road blockades, the burning of bridges, and sometimes clashes with police or para-military forces. Third, there are inter-group clashes. Assam, the second largest state of the NER has been in turmoil and agitation since long. The Bodoland region is one of the most disturbed areas in Assam. Inhabited by various ethnic groups like the Bodos, Gorkhas, Assamese, Santhals, Bengali speaking Muslims etc., this region has witnessed several conflicts.