Bodoland
They say the problem is turning 'grave'.
Also, a jail bharo andolan in April and a non-cooperation movement in May
The re-emergence of violence in Kashmir shows once again the frailties of the Indian union. The truth is that forcing diverse people into a union, in the guise of “unity in diversity”, doesn't work. What would work is to give them freedom of self-rule with an ironclad agreement -- Nehru's "binding cement" -- of a strong federal government.
Growing up in Haflong, a remote mountainous town in Dima Hasao District, Assam, offered me the privilege of accessing the town's multiple ethnic cultures. This experience held me in good stead as I chose to study ethnic conflicts in the Northeast years later. Most of these conflicts are about dignity, prestige and identity. But that's not all there is to it.
An anti-incumbency wave against the Congress and even the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) is palpable in the state which goes to the polls on 4 and 11 April. The BJP has also firmed up a multi-party alliance that according to a recent opinion poll could get as many as 78 out of a total of 126 assembly seats. However, there are still variables that could make the poll outcome less decisive.
In thirty years of armed insurrections in this stretch of Assam, hundreds have been killed, many more have gone missing and a few million have been displaced. Another few thousands will be forced out of their home this winter. The survivors have lost count of the dead and the government has no data of the number of victims.
