By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 27 Dec 2014: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group for safeguarding India’s pluralist ethos, has condemned the brutal violence in Assam during the last one week, leading to the killing of 76 people, burning of houses and the displacement of hundreds of others.
In brazen attacks against the Adivasi population, Bodo militants went on a rampage in Assam’s Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam. Even children as young as 7 years old have not been spared. In the Tuesday attack on Adivasi villages in the two districts, more than 70 people including 21 women and 18 children were killed by the Bodo militants.
“The atrocities against Adivasis in Assam show the root cause of the problem is Bodo militancy and brutal attacks against the non-Bodo population. Targeting Adivasis or scapegoating Muslims as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh can only exacerbate the situation,” said Mr. Ahsan Khan, President of IAMC. “A critical aspect of the conflict is the political hegemony of one group where 75% of seats in the legislature of the specially administered region are reserved for Bodos, although they barely constitute 26% of the population,” added Mr. Khan.
IAMC has reiterated its demands for efforts by the state government to ensure equal access to opportunities and political power for all ethnic groups, disarming of all militants, adequate relief measures for those affected by the violence, and long term measures to bring about reconciliation between rival ethnic groups.
IAMC has called on the state government to provide immediate assistance to the displaced people to enable them to return to their villages and rebuild their homes.
