During our school days, when the historic Assam agitation broke out, we used to go to Tihu town to join various protest demonstrations against the outsiders (read non-Assamese Indians) and the movement was initially known as ‘Bohiragata Kheda Andolan’ (agitation to deport outsiders) to create a prosperous Assam for the indigenous population. Later it was redefined as the agitation against illegal migrants (read Bangladeshi/East Pakistani nationals) by the intellectuals and media barons in Guwahati. Simultaneously an armed movement also surfaced with an initial trigger from the economic domination of Hindi speaking people in eastern Assam.
After decades, as the mighty river Brahmaputra kept on rolling, the issue came alive with an incident in Sibsagar, where a community was compelled to apologize for a crime committed by some individuals (belonging to that group). The accused individuals, who physically assaulted a minor female arm wrestler at Babupatty on 13 August 2024, were already brought into the legal process. But still the entire community (read Marwari) was made responsible for the crime. Shockingly a responsible State minister was present on the occasion, where some aged males and females were forced to kneel down to convey the public apology.
The Sibsagar incident was enjoyed by a number of parochial Assamese individuals, terming it as an example of Asomiyagiri (domination of Assamese community). They made it clear that anyone living in Assam must respect the Asomiya language and culture. Otherwise they would have to leave the State, and that was the exact narrative that inspired the people of Brahmaputra valley to join the student-ed agitation. Amazingly, some people in Assam still nurture a daydream of crafting the State as a land of Assamese-speaking people only. They bluntly defy the argument that hundreds of thousands of Assamese families (mostly students) today live outside the State as proud Indians.
However, the Sibsagar resolution annoyed a large number of logical Assamese personalities who outrightly denounced the attitude of the agitators of constructing a strong divide between Asomiya and non-Asomiya nationals. Many social media users pointed them out as senseless and troublemakers. Some advised them to come out of Assam and visit the country to develop a vivid sense of nationalism with pride. A few urged them to raise voices against the illegal Bangladeshi Muslims, who have emerged as a threat to the locals of Assam. They strongly argued that Asomiyagiri will not survive if those illegitimate foreigners started dominating the politics of the country in future.
The ecstasy of success in Sibsagar was also short-lived, as a rape incident shook the conscience of the entire Assamese population. A minor at Dhing area in central Assam faced gang rape on 22 August as she was returning home from tutorial classes in the evening hours. At least three youths belonging to the Muslim community on a two-wheeler chased the class x girl and finally overpowered her. Locals found her in an unconscious condition on a roadside and sent her to a nearby health centre. Later she was shifted to Nagaon town for better treatment.
The news broke in next day morning hours that one of the prime accused in the gang-rape died by drowning as he tried to escape police custody by jumping into a pond. Tafajjul Islam, who was arrested after the horrible incident, had been taken to the place where it took place for recreating the crime scene.Â
Hundreds of Assamese women supported by students hit the street and condemned the police forces for its repeated failure to protect the women in their locality. A large number of angry protesters sat on the road with bright sunlight beating down on them, alleged that months back an aged lady was raped in their locality, where the police did only a cover-up. They accused the habituated rapists of being suspected migrants and demanded justice for the victim girl. A few of them even chanted slogans demanding an encounter (meaning extrajudicial killing) for the monsters.
Meanwhile, following a call by the Dhing unit of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), all commercial establishments and educational institutions were closed in the locality. They demanded stringent actions against the culprits. Criticizing the State Home Department for its failure to protect the women in their own places, the agitators insisted that the indigenous females must be safeguarded at any cost. The protest demonstrations in Dhing continued for days, demanding the arrest of all criminals involved with the fateful incident.
Realising the charged situation, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was full of praise for the Sibsagar resolution, made a stern comment through his social media handling over the Dhing incident. Expressing serious concern over it, Sarma (also in charge of State Home portfolio) directed the State police chief GP Singh to rush to the location and ensure swift actions against the monsters. He asserted that the horrific incident at Dhing, involving a minor, was a crime against humanity and the government would not spare the perpetrators.
And the news broke in next day morning hours that one of the prime accuseds in the gang-rape died by drowning as he tried to escape police custody by jumping into a pond. Tafajjul Islam, who was arrested after the horrible incident, had been taken to the place where it took place for recreating the crime scene. According to the police personnel on duty, Tafazzul attacked them and tried to escape. After two hours of search by State Disaster Response Force personnel, his body, still handcuffed, was recovered from the pond. The local villagers did not join in his funeral, as it was conducted by the close family members only.
Meanwhile, a number of protest rallies were organized in different parts of Assam supporting the demand of Dhing-lady agitators. A group of indigenous people’s organisations even issued a deadline to Miya Muslims (indicating Muslims of Bangladesh origin) to leave upper Assam within a week. They were loud and clear that the Dhing rape was committed by the Miyas only and urged the government to do the needful. Representatives of All Tai Ahom Students Union, Bir Lachit Sena, Asomiya Yuva Manch, Asomiya Mahila Manch, All Assam Adivasi Students’ Union, All Assam Chutia Students’ Union, All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union, among others, termed the Miyas as cancerous to the Assamese society and insisted on a quick eradication.
