Assam separatist movements refers to a series of multiple insurgent and separatist movements that had been operated the in Northeast Indian state of Assam. [9] The conflict started in the 1970s [9] following tension between the native indigenous Assamese people and the Indian government over alleged neglect, political, social, cultural, economic issues and increased levels of illegal immigration from Bangladesh. [10] [11] The conflict has resulted in the deaths of 12,000 United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants and 18,000 others. [8] [12]
Several organisations contribute to the insurgency including the ULFA, the Adivasi National Liberation Army, Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) with ULFA perhaps the largest of these groups, [12] and one of the oldest, having been founded in 1979. [13] The ULFA has attacked Hindi-speaking migrant workers [14] and a movement exists favouring secession from the Republic of India. [15] The alleged neglect and economic, social, cultural and political exploitation by the Indian state are the main reasons behind the growth of this secessionist movement.
The ULFA seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via armed struggle. MULTA (Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam), on the other hand, seeks to establish an Islamic state in India via the jihadist struggle of Muslims of both indigenous and migrant origin. The Government of India banned the ULFA in 1990 and classifies it as a terrorist group, while the US State Department lists it under "other groups of concern".
Founded at Rang Ghar, a historic structure dating to the Ahom kingdom on April 7, 1979, the ULFA has been the subject of military operations by the Indian Army since 1990, which have continued into the present. [16] In the past two decades some 30,000 people have died [17] in the clash between the rebels and the government. Though separatist sentiment is considered strong, it is disputed if the secessionist movement continues to enjoy popular support. Conversely, assertions of Assamese nationalism are found in Assamese literature and culture. The neglect and exploitation by the Indian state are common refrains in the Assamese-language media [18] with some reports casting the ULFA leaders as saviors. [19]
Internationally acclaimed Assamese novelist Indira Goswami has tried to broker peace [20] [21] [22] for several years between the rebels and the government. [23] In a recent development Hiren Gohain, [24] [25] a public intellectual, has stepped in to expedite the process.
In June 7 in 2007, Dilip Agarwal, an Indian businessman (grocer) and his son, Rajat Agarwal were kidnapped by four suspected Adivasi National Liberation Army (ANLA). [26] In December of the same year, an improvised explosive device planted in a train compartment on its way from Dibrugarh to Delhi, India, blast killing 5 civilians and wounded five more. The ANLA claimed the attack to the media asking for more rights and recognition for the community in the state. [27] [28] [29]
In December 23, 2008, armed militants of the ANLA shot dead the Deputy Manager Gautom Kotoky a senior tea executive in Carramore tea estate (owned by McLeod & Russell Group) along the India-Bhutan border under Harisinga Police Station in Odalguri, Assam. [30] [31] In the next day, a bomb blasts on railway tracks between Khatkhati and Bokajan. The attack left only material damage, and were attributed to the ANLA. [32] [33]
In July 10 of 2011, an explosion was registered in the Guwahati-Puri Express train. Four of the train's coaches were derailed and over 100 people were wounded, and the attack caused an unknown amount of property damage to the tracks and train. Authorities said the bomb was placed on the track with wires and other trigger materials, which were found after the bombing. The Adivasi People's Army (APA) [34] claimed responsibility for the attack through an email, and the police suspected that National Democratic Front of Bodoland for the bombing. [35] Suspected APA militants attacked and wound Zakir Hussain, leader in the Assam Minorities Students' Union (AMSU); he held the position of Kamandanga unit assistant secretary. The attack took place in Kokrajhar district, Assam. [36] [37] The APA carried out other similar attacks in train tracks. [38]
In December 21, the businessman Ratan Saha was kidnapped by members of the Adivasi Cobra Militants of Assam (ACMA) in Kokrajhar, Assam. In response, locals violently protested the kidnapping and demanded that Saha be released in one day. There were no reports of the outcome of the kidnapping. [39] [40]
During 2012, all Adivasi militants including those of Adivasi Cobra Force surrendered. In December of the same year, armed militants of the ANLA kidnapped Gobin Goswami, the headmaster of Kuwoni Lower Primary School in Golaghat, the motive of the abduction and the outcome of the kidnapping is unknown. [41] [42]
Suspect members of the ANLA abducted a grocery store owner and his employee in Majuli area, Sonitpur. The attackes claimed the kidnapping because they had failed to make ransom payments. [43] [44] [45]
On 15 May 2019, twelve people were injured after a grenade exploded in front of a shopping mall in Guwahati. Days later the United Liberation Front of Assam claimed responsibility for the attack, and the authorities arrested the main suspects. [46] [47] [48]
In 2020 and 2021, all Bodo, Karbi, Kuki and Dimasa militants surrendered to the government of India.[ citation needed ]
In 2022, Gorkha and Tiwa Militants also surrendered.[ citation needed ]
The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is an armed militant organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an independent sovereign nation state of Assam for the indigenous Assamese people through an armed struggle in the Assam conflict. The Government of India banned the organisation in 1990 citing it as a terrorist organisation, while the United States Department of State lists it under "other groups of concern".
The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) was an armed separatist outfit which sought to obtain a sovereign Boroland for the Bodo people. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India.
The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple separatist militant groups operating in some of India's northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as 14.29 miles (23.00 km) wide.
Terrorism in India, according to the Home Ministry, poses a significant threat to the people of India. Compared to other countries, India faces a wide range of terror groups. Terrorism found in India includes Islamic terrorism, ultranationalist terrorism, and left-wing terrorism India is one of the countries most impacted by terrorism.
Paresh Baruah, also known by aliases Paresh Asom and Kamruj Zaman Khan, is an Indian separatist militant who is the army chief of the ULFA, which is seeking Independence for Assam from the Indian Union. He is the vice-chairperson and the commander-in-chief of the United Liberation Front of Assam – Independent. Baruah lives in Yunnan, China where he receives funding and patronage from MSS. He has also insisted that Han Chinese are friends of the Assamese and want to help them become independent, even though his influence has largely diminished.
Beltola is a prime residential area in the southern part of Guwahati, Assam.
The Adivasi Cobra Force, also known as the Adivasi Cobra Militant Force, was an militant insurgent group in Lower Assam, India, with the claimed objective of protecting the Adivasi people through armed combat.
The 2008 Assam bombings occurred on 30 October 2008, before noon in markets in Guwahati city and the surrounding area of western Assam. Reports indicated as many as eighteen bombs went off, causing at least 81 deaths and 470 injuries.
The 2009 Assam serial blasts occurred on 6 April 2009 in the Maligaon and Dhekiajuli areas of the Assamese capital Guwahati on the eve of the Assamese Rajya Sabha MP and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to address poll rallies. It also came during the campaigning phase of the 2009 Indian general election.
Ashanta Baghphukan, , was the Organising Secretary of ULFA, the banned terrorist group of Assam.
Naba Kumar Saraniya alias Heera Saraniya, also spelled as Heera Sarania and Hira Sarania, alias Naba Deka is an Indian politician who is serving as the Member of parliament, Lok Sabha representing the Kokrajhar constituency in Assam from 2014 to 2019 as an Independent Candidate and since 2019 as a member of Gana Suraksha Party. He won by the highest margin ever recorded in polls in Assam and as an independent candidate in the history of Lok Sabha elections. He is also the founder and president of Gana Suraksha Party since 2019. Earlier, Saraniya was the commander of the 709 battalion of ULFA. He was said to be one of the most dreaded militants in Assam.
The 2004 Dhemaji school bombing occurred on 15 August 2004, on the occasion of Independence Day in Dhemaji, Assam. The bombing by the Assamese militant group called the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) killed 18 people and injured many others. Most of the victims were schoolchildren aged between 12 and 14 and their mothers.
Operation All Clear was a military operation conducted by Royal Bhutan Army forces against Assam separatist insurgent groups in the southern regions of Bhutan between 15 December 2003 and 3 January 2004. It was the first operation ever conducted by the Royal Bhutan Army.
In December 2014, a series of attacks by militants resulted in the deaths of more than 76 people in India. The attacks took place in the Chirang, Sonitpur, and Kokrajhar districts on 23 December 2014. They were attributed to the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
The Insurgency in Meghalaya is a frozen armed conflict between India and a number of separatist rebel groups which was taking place in the state of Meghalaya. The Insurgency in Meghalaya is part of the wider Insurgency in Northeast India, and was fueled by demands of the Khasi, Synteng and Garo people for a separate state.
On 1 November 2018, suspected militants of ULFA (Independent) massacred five Bengali Hindus on the banks of Brahmaputra near Kherbari village in Tinsukia district of Assam. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killings. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal condemned the killings and pointed towards the NRC process as the trigger behind the killings. ULFA (Independent) denied any involvement in the massacre.
Rajen Sharma, commonly known as Uddipta Hazarika, was the first publicity secretary of the militant organisation United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Popular for his poem Mor Rakta Borna Protigya, Sharma was killed on 8 October 1989.
The A’chik Songna An’pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) is an armed separatist group operating in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. The ASAK is an split of the Achik National Volunteer Council, formed nearly 2014.
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