Bodos renew statehood demand

More than seven years after the government resolved the Bodo issue of Assam by setting up the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Council....

More than seven years after the government resolved the Bodo issue of Assam by setting up the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Council,the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) renewed its demand for a separate state on Wednesday.

The student body shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying creation of a separate Bodoland state alone could ensure the all-round development of the Bodos and protect their land and identity. The ABSU letter also carried the signatures of about three lakh people endorsing the demand.

ABSU president Pramod Boro and general secretary Jiron Basumatary claimed that the two historic Bodo Accords,one of February 20,1993 and the other of February 10,2003,had pitiably failed to address the basic problems of the Bodo tribals. Instead of providing peace and stability the two accords had only provided more lawlessness,fratricidal conflicts,communal tensions and total absence of security to lives and properties of the people, they said.

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They also pointed out that the dismal law and order situation in the state had led to more than 146 innocent Bodo people being killed in the past two years. But not a single culprit has been arrested. It is evident that the state government is systematically encouraging police inaction and hence no proper investigations are conducted, they complained.

We do not intend to resort to violence or conflicts. We do not have illegal arms. We do not want to call bandhs and cause disruption. We want a separate Bodoland state created through peaceful negotiations, the ABSU letter said.