More than 1,000 Killed in Ethnic Clashes, Bomb Blasts in Assam Over 15 years

By Sushanta Talukdar


Assam witnessed eight ethnic clashes over the past nearly 15 years between 2001 and February 24, 2015, which claimed 535 lives. During this period, 810 bomb blasts also occurred in the State in which 471 persons (395 civilians and 76 security personnel) were killed.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rockybul Hussain tabled these statistics on the floor of the Assam Assembly on Monday while replying on behalf of the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, to a question raised by BJP member Monoranjan Das.

The eight ethnic clashes included:

• The Hmar-Dimasa clashes (between February 26, 2003 and July 12, 2003) which claimed 57 lives in Dima Hasao district
• The Karbi-Kuki clashes (between October 30, 2003 and April 12, 2004) which claimed 98 lives in Kabri Anglong district
• The Karbi-Dimasa clashes (between September 26, 2005 and December 28, 2005) which claimed 106 lives in Karbi Anglong district
• The Bodo-Muslim clashes (between August 14, 2008 and August 20, 2008 and October 3, 2008 and October 17, 2008) which claimed 64 lives in Udalguri and Darrang district
• The Zeme Naga-Dimasa clashes (between March 19, 2009 and September 9, 2009) which claimed 73 lives in Dima Hasao district
• The Garo-Rabha clashes (between January 1, 2011 and January 13, 2011) which claimed 12 lives in Goalpara district
• The Karbi-Rengma Naga clashes (between February 27, 2013 and January 7, 2014) which claimed 16 lives in Karbi Anglong district
• The Bodo-Muslim clashes (between July 19, 2012 and November 17, 2012) which claimed 109 lives in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri, Baksa and Dhubri.

The minister also informed that currently eight militant outfits were active in Assam. These include United Liberation Front of Asom (Independen), National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit), Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger, Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, Harkat-ul-Muzahideen, Muslim United Liberation Tiger of Assam, Jamaat’ul Mujahideen of Bangladesh and the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in his budget speech for the fifth financial year of his third consecutive term, presented in the House on Tuesday stated that efforts by his government for maintenance of law and order resulted in signing of record 21 agreements by his government and the Centre for suspension of operations or Memorandum of Settlements with 21 militant outfits.