Assam violence due to feud between Bodos and Muslims: NCM

NCM Chairperson Wajahat Habibullah told PTI that the Commission has sent the report on the clashes to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and had personally taken up the matter with him during the Iftar party hosted by him yesterday.

"The Prime Minister told me that he has received the report," Habibullah said.

The panel said the conflict this time "was not between some exodus of Bangladeshi immigrants and the Bodos, but between Bodos and the resident Muslims of the BTAD".

Of course, some infiltration is taking place in all pockets of Assam all the time, but there has been no sudden influx from Bangladesh to trigger off such a major conflict, it said, pointing out that "when Muslims abandoned their villages, their houses were looted and gutted (which) might indicate a design to see that they do not return to their own villages."

The Commission members also brought to the notice of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi the "danger of Muslims in the BTC becoming militants in the future, in case their security was not ensured".

"There can be grave danger in future in case militant Jihadi outfits from the rest of the country start supplying lethal weapons in this area.....Remedial action was necessary in view of the fact that conflicts in which Bodos were involved have been taking place over the last 15 years. Administration and the police especially have to deal with recalcitrants forcefully," the panel said.

The team comprising Member Planning Commission, Syeda Hameed, Advisor G B Panda, and NCP Member NCM, Keki N Daruwalla visited Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) and Kokrajhar, Gossain Gaon and Dhubri district between July 11 and July 12. MORE