Bodoland Movement

in Assam
Its impact on the surrounding
communities

Timeline

Expansion
in the
Assam tea
industry in
early
1860s

1901: First
oil refinery
established
in Digboi

19111931: High
inflow of
Muslim
immigrants
from
Bengal

1947:
Assam
Land
Regulation
Act passed

Bodoland Movement in Assam

1960: The
Assam
Official
Language
Act
imposed

1967:
formation
of Plain
Tribal
Council of
Assam
(PTCA) and
All Bodo
Students
Union
(ABSU)

1986:
Formation
of Bodo
Security
Force (BSF)

1987:
Launch of
full fledged
Bodoland
movement
by ABSU
and BPCA

1993:
Bodoland
Accord
signed and
formation
of
Bodoland
Autonomo
us Council
(BAC)

Late
1990s: Fall
of
Bodoland
Accord,
violent
clashes
amongst
rival
factions

2003:
Second
Peace
Accord
signed with
formation
of BTC

2005:
Ceasefire
agreed
between
state
governmen
t and NDFB

2012:
Violent
clashes
between
Bodos and
Muslims

Why were Bodos resentful?

Assam Tea Company started its operations in Brahmaputra Valley in mid nineteenth
century which was inhabited mainly by Bodos
With growth of tea plantations and oil refinery, Muslims from Bengal began to migrate in
large numbers
Santhal, Munda and Oraon adivasis were brought to Assam as tea labourers under British
Raj
Increasing resentment from natives led to formulation of Assam Land Regulation Act to
protect tribal land alienation and encroachment by outsiders

Name of the place

1911

1921

1931

Goalpara

77000

151000

170000

Kamrup

4000

44000

134000

Darrang

7000

20000

41000

Nowgong

4000

58000

120000

Number of people in Assam from East Bengal (in thousands)

Bodoland Movement in Assam

Rate of increase of Muslim population in different districts of Assam (1971-1991)

The imposition of Assamese language as the official language of the state

led to the vehement protest from various non-Assamese speaking linguistic
groups
Bodos became highly apprehensive about their cultural and political identity
Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minster gave voting rights to 4 million Bangladeshi
immigrants
All these factors made them feel unsafe and insecurity threatened their very
existence
4

Bodoland Movement in Assam

Their Response
PTCA came into existence in 1967 and raised the demand
of political autonomy for Bodos
Rising Bodo Middle Class found concrete expression in
idea of union territory, namely, Udayachal
But it lost its appeal among common Bodos because of
their internecine conflict and their brief alliance with the
then Assam Government
Bodo Security Forces (BSF), a militant group formed in
1986, carried out several attacks in Assam, targeting nonBodo civilians

July 22, 2012

Footer text here

 In 1987, under leadership of Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma, ABSU submitted a

memorandum to Central Government demanding separate state
The umbrella organization BPAC was formed to unite all sections of Bodo people
irrespective of age and political affiliation
The Bodoland Autonomous Council Act (BAC) was passed in 1993 with signing of peace
accord between government and leaders of ABSU and BPAC
The council comprised of contiguous geographical area between river Sankosh and
Mazbat; also villages having 50% and above tribal population was included in BAC area
It did not fulfil expectations of all sections of Bodo and resulted in ideological conflict
among them
It led to emergence of two militant groups namely NDFB(previously BSF) and BLTF
NDFB demanded sovereign Bodoland but BLTF aimed for separate state within India
Bodoland Accord was rejected and violent conflicts occurred between militant groups
Memorandum of Settlement was signed on February 10, 2003 between BLT and
Government to create an autonomous self-governing body- Bodoland Territorial Councilwhich would administer a territory spanning 3082 villages making 4 districts
Ceasefire was agreed between NDFB and State Government in 2005

Bodoland Movement in Assam

Impact on Other Communities

In 1996 Bodo militants started ethnic cleansing process by attacking houses of Santhals
which resulted in riots, killing nearly 1000 and displacing above 2.5 lakh
Militants further attacked and displaced more than 25000 Hindu Bengalis, Santhals,
Muslims and Nepalese in 1998
It led to rise of other communities militant groups like Adivasi Cobra Force, Birsa
Commando Force, Bengali Tiger Force, Islamic Revolutionary Army and Immigrant
Muslim Liberation Army
Large Scale violence, kidnapping and an increase in disruptive activities was witnessed

Bodoland Movement in Assam

Conclusion
BTC has not fully satisfied the grievances of the Bodos
A more serious and pragmatic stand is required from Bodo
leaders
BTC area is inhabited by multiple linguistics groups; it cant be
made into one language homogeneous society
From various tribal groups such as Rabhas, Saraniyas, Mechas,
Miris and Deories, non tribals like the Koch Rajbongshi, caste
Hindus, Muslims, Santhals and Nepalese are also residing in
BTC territory
If these groups have to lose their rights and status, they maybe
inducted to adopt insurgency activities by uniting against
Bodos
Conditions are still fragile but can change in time with the right
approach
8

Bodoland Movement in Assam