Assam’s Home Department is playing it safe and has come up with a clever formulation: an “ULFA-jihadi hand” to imply a possible link between Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJi) and ULFA. Our officials of course could not care less that the Bangladesh Foreign Office dismisses these allegations. Bangladesh pointed out that India offered no evidence that HuJi, an outlawed group based in that country, is involved; and went on to tell India that “this is no time for finger-pointing without proof.”

India is not Spain; but it is not the case that the shenanigans of our politicians and police officers have no consequences, though they may not have to pay for them as directly as did Aznar. Indian intelligence has a very bad track record with providing definitive proof of the involvement of any particular group in terror attacks. It certainly could not have done it within minutes of these unprecedented blasts.

Given the sensitive state of inter-ethnic relations in Assam today, its statements are irresponsible as well. Very few people in Assam believe that ULFA is responsible. The scenes of bodies strewn all over, the numbers wounded and mangled, the images of burnt-out cars in familiar places are unlike anything the Assamese have seen before. In this moment of grief, shock and bleakness there are serious dangers to appearing to be politically manipulative.

They’re irresponsible when it comes to relations with Bangladesh as well. The current state of Indo-Bangladesh relations is dysfunctional from the perspective of Assam and Northeast India — not because of Assam, but because Bangladesh does not fit the Indian security establishment’s view of a good neighbour. Its ideal neighbour, after all, is Bhutan, which cooperated with the Indian army in operations against Northeast Indian militant groups in December 2003.

... contd.