Guwahati: In the aftermath of the deadly attacks by Bodo militants in Assam that claimed 78 lives, thousands of tribals fled their homes in fear and are now residing in makeshift shelters as they have been reduced to refugees in their own land. Battling in the cold with no food, no protection, they are waiting for normalcy to return.
A tribal said, "We don't get any food, we gather some rice and cook something out of it. There is no option."
Another said, "There is a Bodo village right next to our village. They start firing at us anytime, so we ran away."
Unlike other states, in Assam tribals aren't recognised as Scheduled Tribes even though they constitute over 22 per cent of the population. This has been a longstanding demand of all the tribal organisations active here.
Bir Singh Munda, Commander-in-Chief of Birsa Liberation Force, said, "Everywhere we are given this recognition but here we are categorised as tea tribes and hence we do not get any right or reservation. We have been given Scheduled Tribe status in many other states except Assam, that's why we face such violence."
The situation becomes even more difficult in the Bodoland Territorial Area District where most of the political rights are reserved for the Bodos and the minorities and tribals have been persecuted for the last three decades. The Bodo Territorial Council though, has sounded a re-conciliatory note.
Deputy chief Khampa Borgaiary said, "This is the work of NDFB(S). We are trying to bring back the communal harmony to the area."
But for over 20,000 original inhabitants living in these camps, it will be a long road to harmony and normalcy.
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