Skip to content Skip to navigation

Violence revisits Assam

By Rituparna Goswami Pande |

Violence has revisited Assam with a vengeance. After a comparatively peaceful period once again Assam bleeds. The unfortunate incident of group clash jolted Assam out of its reverie and has triggered a kind of a chain reaction of bandhs, blasts and increased the probability of ethnic clashes. Ethnic clashes were an alien occurrence in Assam till black Saturday dawned upon the people of Assam on the fateful day of November 24.

An allegedly peaceful rally of Adivasi Students’ Association demanding the status of Scheduled Tribes status of the Adivasi community turned into a gory battleground for local residents of Beltola area of Guwahati and the rallyists. Hundreds of vehicles, shops and business establishments and residential buildings were damaged. Officially at least one person has been reported killed while around 200 people injured in the clashes. The death toll may go up as 10 people were reported to be in a critical state.

An indefinite curfew was clamped from Basistha Tiniali to Dispur Last gate on Saturday and an eerie silence has taken over the areas as people are unable to come to terms with the incident.

The failure of the administration to bring the situation under control has led the political parties to condemn the government’s failure to maintain law and order in the state.
Allegedly, prompt action on the part of the administration could have averted the violent eruption. Another major factor was how some of the adivasi students were allowed to carry bows and arrows in the rally?

However the state government has taken measures to curb further disturbances in the state by ordering the District Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to take adequate steps to prevent the spread of violence in other parts of the state. A 36 hour Assam Bandh had been called today by the All Adivasi Student’s Association in protest of the group clash on Saturday.

Meanwhile two blasts rocked Guwahati last evening near a glass factory in Fatasil Ambari killing one person and another blast occurred in Tinsukia’s Manik Hazarika Road killing two people. The police suspect the ULFA behind the blasts.

Taking advantage of the disturbed situation the ULFA has renewed its violent streak in Assam. Today Assam is in a sensitive spot with emotions of the locals and the adivasis running high, hence it’s the government’s turn now to douse the fires of hatred ignited by people with vested interests and foil the ulterior motives of the enemies of the state. And it’s the peoples’ turn to show their solidarity by maintaining peace and controlling the situation which has already gone out of hand.

Photo: Security personnel having a strong vigil on 26-11-07 in the Beltola-Survey area, Guwahati, after the mass violence on 24th November.

Author info

Rituparna Goswami Pande's picture

Journalist, writer

Comments

CHARLIE's picture

Submitted by CHARLIE on Tue, 27/11/2007 - 02:44
ITS REALLY SHOCKING INCIDENT HAPPENED TO OUR SOCIETY FOR THE FIRST TIME HAPPENED IN GHY,WHO EVER DONE THIS THEY SHOULD REALISED THAT OUR SOCIETY MENTALLY IS NOT THAT WAY THEY HAVE DONE TO ADIVASI WOMEN , U REPORTHING OF ARTICLE IS EXCELLENT
Smriti Rekha Bharali Saikia's picture

Submitted by Smriti Rekha Bh... on Tue, 27/11/2007 - 08:48
Its really sad that people of Assam is still busy in violence. They should wake up and take a step for futher development of the education of children and other functional activities. We love our life so please stop violence and make our Assam a beautiful land with full of love, affection and faith. Zindagi jeene ka naam hein na ki marne and maarne ka. Jai Hind. M---- your article is superb.
bonbon's picture

Submitted by bonbon on Tue, 27/11/2007 - 12:27
It's such a sad feeling that a peaceful place like axom has overnight turned so ghastly. the need of the hour is to be more tolerant and peaceloving. No amount of bloodshed can bring peace.You are doing a marveloys job by bringing out the correct happenings . It is said that the pen is mightier then the sword keep it up.
jaay's picture

Submitted by jaay on Thu, 13/12/2007 - 02:46
Where will it end, is all we are interested in? It’s now been a long time and probably the issues for which the fight / differences cropped have long been lost so now is the right to sit down and think for a better future for the next generation. Let us not bring them into the fear that we have lived through, give secure and bright future. Business of bombing is getting out of hand. People should become more aware and cautious in the market place and should report any suspicious materials. Can the people be part of the society who have the heart of placing bomb right in the market and kill fellow citizens, I don’t know, at least I can say that they are NOT fighting for a cause or some cause. We must assert as to what we want, this is our place and we want it to be safe, even if it means that I have to revolt against my friend / relative , we have to do it in order to make our city a city of bliss. Nice article.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Protest against Modi

5 Jan 2019 - 11:30pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Various organisation and parties in BTAD region including Congress, All BTC Minority Students Union (ABMSU),All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU), BTAD Nath Yogi Students Union, have dead opposed...

KSO lobbies for KAAC representation

17 Aug 2017 - 9:51am | Syed Miraz Ahmed
The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) and Karbi Anglong District committee, called on the Chief Executive Member, KAAC, Tuliram Ronghang at his official residence Wednesday in connection with the...

Paralyzing bandh

6 Feb 2014 - 3:43pm | AT News
Normal life came to a grinding halt in parts of lower Assam following the KLO-sponsored bandh called in protest against the killing of Brindabon Rajbanshi in fake encounter.    Vital...

ULFA(I) threatens more strike

28 May 2017 - 9:40pm | AT News
The United Liberation Front of Asom(I) has owned up the responsibility of the explosion at an ONGC pipeline in Sonari on Saturday. In a statement issued to media on Sunday, the rebel outfit said...

Other Contents by Author

Women of Substance

This women’s day I salute those unsung ‘heroes’ who have withstood the onslaught of fickle fate. No they are not faces in the crowd rather they are the crowd whose faces we don’t remember. They are those who are living in the periphery of life, battling everyday issues of home and hearth.I bow my head in reverence to the grit of Mausam’s mother who put aside her grief after losing her only son to Ewing’s Sarcoma in order to stand as a pillar of strength to her broken husband who unable to bear the tempest of misfortune had almost lost touch with reality. I like many others was a helpless bystander of the tale of woe that had fallen like a bolt from the blue on this poor family.  But...

My Waxen Wings

If I had wings and were a birdWould travel the world and orbit the EarthOr had I been a butterfly Eclectic colors would be mineI would hover over trees, flutter over blooms, On a spiritual high, I would go into a swoonShould I be a fish and swim the seaPass through oceans or haunt a reefWith beautiful corals for companyThe heart would leap at Nature’s bountyHad I been a fir tree insteadMy leaves would flutter in snow headsThe flirty wind would kiss my soulThe icy breeze to lift me up, life would be on a rollWhat if I were the season – SpringOrchid blooms, newness to ring inNo, no let me be the sky, the endless blueFar from earth, to keep a watch on youBut then my mind looks to the...

I, Kaziranga

I, KazirangaShedding tears of bloodMy children, the four leggedIn men no longer trust.God’s blessed beings are theyRoaming the wildsIn search of prey and hayOften trapped by wily menCaught unawaresBy a poaching handLeft to dieWith bleeding woundsWith their hornsCut by forest goonsNo where to runNo where to hideTheir haven encroached by thugsTheir skies taken over by two legged bugsFeigned protectionI don’t seekI, KazirangaWill continue to bleedIf there is no messiahLet my children not desireAny solace from cruel fateBut march towards extinction and Heaven’s gate.

A day for Women!

The fact that we need to celebrate Women’s Day portends that all is not well in a women’s world. Or else why would we need to single out a day for millions of women who have equal rights and status in the world they inhabit. We don’t have a men’s day which is evidence enough that all is hunky dory with their race.The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women," while International Women's Day 2013 has declared the year's theme as The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum. But then is it really gaining momentum?As we celebrate Women’s Day today a woman is probably being raped in our rape capital i.e. Delhi or any other...

Assam - a killing field for the wild

Lately every morning we have been waking up to screaming headlines of animal killings in the newspapers. Rhinos being poached with their horns brutally severed and left to die,elephants electrocuted or hunted down, their bodies mutilated and left to bleed to death. Gory pictures of animal atrocities splashed in every newspaper, every channel. It really makes one ponder as to how low humans can stoop to gratify their covetous desire for money. Twisted minds are targetting the animal kingdom, mute creatures, innocent beings who do not care nor bother to know how our world has become a slave to money. The world Heritage site Kaziranga National park has seen 20 rhino killings this year and a...

Prevent Animal Sacrifice this puja

All Hindus become epitomes of excitement to the run up to the festival of the auspicious Durga puja. Pandals coming up everywhere, idols being given finishing touches, revellers thronging the markets, discount offers, designer wear on sale and so on. Everyone is under the grip of puja fever and the associated excitement.But for once if we shift our focus away from ourselves and our frivolous acts and ponder over the plights of those innocent animals that would be sacrificed during the puja offerings, I am sure the smiles in our faces would be wiped off. At least the smiles would vanish from those faces who have a little compassion for the four legged. Imagine the little pigeons, a symbol...

Mobile phone radiation: A health hazard

From bedraggled beggars on the streets to the suit clad brokers on Wall Street – the ubiquitous cell phone is everywhere, in every pocket irrespective of the rich / poor status of its owners. It is no longer an item of luxury albeit it’s a must have today, a necessary evil. For technology comes with a price and the technology behind mobile phones is sure to make mankind pay a heavy price – the price of health and safety. The recent furore created in the media worldwide over the possible hazareds of mobile phone radiation has made us sit up and take note of the pros and cons of using the innocent looking mobile handset which had till date so surely and surreptitiously...

Mob dynamics

Man is an animal first and a social animal later. However, our ‘social’ status has failed to erase our animal instincts, which lies dormant in our basic dispositions. The urge to spread violence, the need to kill, and the thirst to quench our carnal desires are proof that there is still some animal in us. These urges raise their ugly heads in the form of homicides, rape and molestation incidents, and mob violence etc putting mankind to shame. The dangerous of all is our affinity towards the mob mentality that threatens to ensnare us at the slightest pretext and at the slightest of provocation. The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral...

Kameswari festival in Kamakhya

The mellifluous tinkle of the Sarod permeated the atmosphere under a canopy of twinkling stars and a soft breeze that emanated from the somber Nilachal hill. Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan performed at the open amphitheatre in the Kamakhya temple premises striking a divine chord in all our hearts. The setting couldn’t have been more striking. The silhouette of the sanctuary at the backdrop and the stupendous performances of maestros were the perfect mode of the two day Kameshwari Music and Dance festival 2010. Dance and music have been an inherent part of temples in India since times immemorial. In order to appease the gods these art forms have always been...

Animals in captivity

“The Assam State Zoo encompassing over 130 hectares of land boasts of an astonishing collection of some rare and extinct species of wild animals settled comfortably in their natural habitat.” This is how a website describes the zoo in our city. However, the ‘stay’ of the animals there is far from ‘comfortable’. The captive animals in small enclosures with hardly room for free movement is a far cry from comfortable. The Assam state Zoo boasts of white tigers, one horned rhinos, Swamp tapirs and leopards to name a few. The zoo is also prosperous in the avian branch and plays host to rare species of birds. Sadly, the animals are caged for better viewing of...