Table of Contents
Issue
- 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.
What police said?
- According to the Assam Police, a group of assailants with sophisticated weapons came to the village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge and called out five-six people from their house.
Concerns?
- The gunning down of five Bengali men is viewed as a part of periodic eruptions against nonAssamese people in the State, rather than an isolated act of violence.
- The killings deepen the fault lines between the Assamese and Bengali communities because of two major reasons prevailing in the region.
Bill and NRC list
- If the Bill becomes an Act, the non-Muslims need not go through any such process, meaning this will be clearly discriminating against Muslims identified as undocumented immigrants.
- The ethnic Assamese nativist groups also advocating an even-handed approach in this issue.
Way Forward
- Hence the recent tragedy should serve as a grim warning to the powers that potentially darker times are
- Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Bench that is monitoring the NRC exercise signalled an accommodative stance by agreeing to allow the use of five more documents by those left out of the NRC final draft.
- This spirit of accommodation by the judiciary, towards long-time residents, of whatever religion or ethnicity, needs to permeate the political leadership and civil society in Assam now
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