The demand for 'Dimaraji State' has digressed and treaded the
unwanted unconventional path by resorting to the ongoing "ethnic
cleansing campaign" unleashed by the majority Dimasa tribe against
the minority Hmars in Cachar and North Cachar Hills Districts
of Assam. The misconceived assumption, of the belief that doing
away with the Hmar tribe and various other minorities could enhance
the realisation of 'Dimaraji State' is one of the core factor
determining the macabre pogrom. On the other hand, it may be
a mistake to view the conflicts of the two districts to be rooted
in religious, cultural and identity differences, as some has
pointed out. The ethnic cleansing campaign is, rather, in many
ways, a product of years of communal campaign to cleanse Cachar
and North Cachar Hills for the Dimasas.
The evidences are layered.
One is the, so far, futile attempt on the part of the Dimaraji
Revival Demand Committee (DRDC) and its armed wing, the Dima
Halam Daogah (DHD) to change the name of N. C. Hills District
into 'Dima Halili'. As such, the problem is not a sudden eruption.
The root causes are serious and deeply embedded in the destructive
political processes pursued by the DRDC in collusion with the
DHD. They seared the political history of the Hmars and the Dimasas
in the two districts of Assam. The campaign is largely a result
of years of fears, jealousies and rivalries of the Dimasas against
the Hmars who were minorities demographically, but were relatively
well ahead of other communities in the region. The Hmars of N.
C. Hills and Cachar were largely touched and benefitted by such
revolutionary changes in education, trades and professions etc.
Amidst such developments, fears and insecurity on the part of
the demographically dominant community surfaced.
Singleminded preoccupation wedded the destructive myopic goal of the majority
tribe which overtook the socio-economic and political capabilities.
Since then, a pragmatic attitude towards the Hmars in particular,
is a policy which the Dimasas can ill-afford. This has, in turn,
become a convenient instrument for the Dimasa politicians who
has always adopted adhoc and ill-conceived initiatives which
have yielded nothing substantially for both the Dimasas and the
Hmars. Unfortunately, however, this converged very well with
the Dimasa politicians' own search for power defined in terms
of votes, while at the same time, stirred and exhumed hyper-nationalism
among the Dimasas.
Coupled with the Dimasas' sense of vulnerability
was a conviction on the part of its political leadership that
it had a vested interest in deepening the divide between the
two tribes. The Dimasa political leadership, then, exploited
the minority Hmar as the reason for embarking on the road to
their political stability while at the same time giving life
to the demand for 'Dimaraji State'. In the process, they have
gorged itself upon the bulk of whatever resources is available
at their capacity while the Government of Assam become inherently
weak and intrinsically lacking in resilience. On the other hand,
the thousands of indigenous Hmars of Cachar and North Cachar
Hills who have been victimised and displaced were made to realise
that they are struggling and fighting an entity none other than
the State itself.
The Hmars have finally realised that the Dimasa
politicians are increasingly using the State machinery to repress
and supress their Fundamental Rights. This is manifested in numerous
incidents where the Dimasa politicians and the Assam police in
N. C. Hills have been particularly acting with biased respect
to the rights of the Hmar people. The Dimasa politicians have
developed a vested interest in maintaining a posture of hostility
towards the Hmars and any rapprochement with the Hmars is seen
as a threat to their privileged position. The Dimasa politicians
conveniently exploit resentments, prejudices and passions in
their attempt to gain or retain a hold on power.
These have engendered
massive violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms,
grave compromises of economic and social development, breakdowns
of civil order and finally ethnic cleansing, genocide and exodus.
This has stripped the Hmars of their essential humanity. However,
the Dimasa polticians, the DRDC and the DHD ought to realise
that there can be no peace and stability in Cachar and N. C.
Hills unless the rights, status and privilege of the Hmars and
various other minority tribes are unconditionally accepted.
Meanwhile, the Government of Assam has made no constructive
efforts to intervene on behalf of the thousands of displaced
Hmars who have crossed over to Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and
who were uprooted and insecurely dispersed in different parts
of Assam. The Assam Government seem to be deliberately ignoring
the fact that the thousands of internally displaced Hmars fall
under the sovereign authority of its governments. The Governments'
silence has no doubt adduced to the belief that it is operating
in close tandem with the designers of destruction.
No organisation or group can be really counted on automatically to come to the
assistance of the displaced persons or to take the peace initiative.
The Church, students' organisations and various other philanthropic
associations had intervened, but then retreated again in futility.
However, it is the State and the Government who should intervene
in its whole capacity to bring about peace and security in the
region. The State should also immediately solve the immense problems
of the thousands of internally displaced Hmars who are, now,
among the single largest at-risk population. They are beset by
hunger, disease and lack of adequate shelter. They are abused
both by the State machineries and insurgent forces, and suffer
mortality rates of epidemic proportions. Till today, their serious
situations still remain unattended.
The Government of Assam has been treating the Hmars with deliberate
biasness. The Hmars, although citizens, have been regarded as
'aliens', 'infiltrators' and 'threatening group', usually with
a different language, culture or religion, and most often a minority
subjected to abusive rule by the majority. This sense of alienation
defined in terms of race, ethnicity, language, culture or religion
is present in the ongoing forced displacement. The divisions
it caused undermine peaceful coexistence, national unity and
any efforts towards peace initiatives. They make illusory any
sense of political or social solidarity. It looks like peace
can only be attained if the depth of concern about the immediate
and long term future of the thousands of internally displaced
Hmars starting with proper rehabilitation and resettlement is
dealt with in utmost urgency. Resettlement should be seen as
the first step in a long term recovery process. Settlement must
be a base for economic, social and psychological readjustment.
The Government of Assam and the Central Government ought to immediately
develop proper institutional structures, legal framework and
rehabilitation designs to deal with the thousands of displaced.
The crude of State power against the minorities shows a contempt
for the democratic spirit that is deeply disturbing. In the process,
the law and order machinery is trampling on the basic and Fundamental
Rights of the people. The Government of Assam as well as the
Central Government should feel secure with its huge mandate and
use the opportunity to concentrate on the task of governance
without even the distractions of a political challenge. Ironically,
it is instead, behaving like an administration which is unsure
of itself and is living from day to day. Its inordinate appetite
for political confrontation is bound to take a heavy toll in
terms of diminutions of democratic rights and the welfare of
the State as a whole.
If in Assam, a democratic government is created, one which respects
human rights, then the effect of that region would be to create
a model in the region. But the question is, can it be done? The
task, it reminds me, of one of those sci-fi stories, in which
the inhabitants of a doomed earth seek a planet from which to
sculpt their new home, I think "terra-forming" was the phrase.
Playing the role of God, human beings put in place, the foundations,
the mountains, the institutions, the infrastructure necessary
for survival and prosperity. It is unfortunate to witness how
the Government downplays the whole situation. The Hmars are certainly
at mire.
* The writer is based in JNU, New Delhi and can be reached at [email protected]
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