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Violence in Dima Hasao District
Later, the Hills Tiger Force (HTF) claimed responsibility for the attack asserting that the reason behind the attack was a show of their anger against the negligence of the Government to their demands. The HTF have been extending support to the demand for bifurcation of North Cachar Hills into two Autonomous Districts.
On 13th October, 2011 miscreants killed James Dimasa at Topodisa near Haflong Civil Hospital at 6:30 PM. As per reports, James, the former Home Secretary of DHD (Jewel) was returning from his residence in his Tata Safari when unidentified miscreants fired at him. He was killed on the spot while his bodyguard and colleague in the same vehicle escaped unhurt.
James Dimasa was the Home Secretary of the Dimasa militant group Dima Halam Daogah – Jewel (DHD-J) faction. James had joined the surrender ceremony of arms at DSA ground, Haflong in the presence of the Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi on 2nd October, 2009. James later deserted the group and raised his own group named DHD (James) with an aim to achieve a separate state to be curved out of Assam.
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Chronology of events 5th October 2011 - Unidentified miscreants attack a goods train near Lower Halflong Railway Station. 13th October 2011 - Miscreants kill James Dimasa at Topodisa near Halflong Civil Hospital. 14th October 2011 - Miscreants set ablaze eight houses of Chhoto Longren village. 15th October 2011 - 12 hour bandh in protest against the torching of the houses and the killing of James Dimasa. 16th October 2011 - Miscreants attack Gaijen village near Sontille and torched 16 houses besides killing a 90 year old headman. |
The following morning i.e. the 14th of October 2011, at around 1 AM miscreants set ablaze eight houses of Chhoto Longren, a Dimasa village just four kms away from Haflong. The police and army personnel went to the village but the culprits had already fled. The villagers informed these authorities that the miscreants entered the village, forced them to come out of their houses and then torched the houses, inflicting no harm to any people.
The Deputy Commissioner of the district, Dilip Borthaku made an appeal to the general public appealing for the maintenance of peace and communal harmony while warning that the District Administration would not tolerate any anti social acts of violence.
In the afternoon, Dimasa social organizations like All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU), Dimasa Students’ Union (DSU), Dimasa Mothers’ Association (DMA), Dimasa Womens’ Society (DWS), etc. submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of the district with a request to nab the culprits involved in the two incidences mentioned earlier, to punish them as per law and provide immediate security to sensitive villages as well as all over the district. These organizations also called a 12 hour Dima Hasao ‘bandh’ from 5am to 5pm on 15th October, 2011 in protest against the two incidences.
The killing of James Dimasa and burning down of houses were vehemently condemned by these organisations besides others.
In the evening, the Hills Tiger Force (HTF) claimed responsibility for the killing of James as well as torching of houses in Longren. The self-styled Secretary, Information and Publicity of HTF Lunneh Kuki was reported to have asserted that the HTF had carried out the violent acts in protest against the proposal of the Government to enter into an agreement with the DHD.
| Gaijen villagers alleged that the police and other security personnel had arrived much later than expected. As such, the miscreants had already fled from the scene. |
The 12 hour Dima Hasao ‘bandh’ passed off peacefully with no untoward incidences. However, on the 16th of October, 2011, miscreants attacked Gaijen village near Sontille under Haflong Police Station and torched 16 houses of the village at around 4A.M. In the incident one headman Thaisring Daulagupu, aged 90 years, was killed and three others were injured. The villagers disclosed that around 35 persons, dressed in black clothes entered the village early in the morning, fired indiscriminately and set ablaze 16 out of the 36 houses of Gaijen village that led to the death of one person and injury to three others. They alleged that the police and other security personnel had arrived much later than expected. As such, the miscreants had already fled from the scene.
It is interesting to note here that the culprits involved in that incident had also killed domestic animals in the village. The police and other security forces, in their search, reportedly arrested some people who were kept in Haflong ‘Thana’ in this connection.
The above mentioned anti-social activities had already made an impact in the minds of the general public. There was a palpable fear psychosis and the dread of an ethnic clash loomed keeping in mind the earlier occurrences of ethnic violence in the district. Rumours started to spread and some people even deserted their villages.
However, the people have already tasted the bitter fruit of ethnic violence – no gain for anyone, rather a general loss for all. This may be why the people did not jump to conclusions and panic. They did not stop sending their children to school, they continued to go to work and saw to their daily chores. Besides this, everyone responded to the appeal of the District Administration and other organizations. Thus the incidences where violence was resorted to were strongly condemned by almost all organizations belonging to different communities.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Member of the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council Kalijoy Sengyung organized a peace meeting with all the political parties, leaders of the apex bodies and social organizations of all the tribes in the district at the CEM’s conference hall, Haflong. The meeting strongly condemned the violence and unanimously resolved to stand against anti-social elements and resolved to work together to maintain peace and harmony in the district. After this, political and social leaders of different communities, including insurgent groups organised some meetings in their respective areas and communities with an appeal to stand united, fight against violent activities and live peacefully without breaking the rule of law. Thus, the violence, somehow, did not assume the magnitude of ethnic violence.
However, sporadic violent incidences are still being reported. A grenade was recovered in the Haflong Petrol Pump but was defused by the police and other security personnel with the help of experts.
A certain Lunneh Kuki, has owned responsibility for almost all the recent violence in Dima Hasao District. However, questions abound about his identity. Kuki organisations are presently searching for this person and as per reliable sources from the Kuki community there is no person named Lunneh Kuki in the Dima Hasao District that the Kuki Apex Body ‘Kuki Inpi, Assam’ is aware of.
Mention may be made here that the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (IPF) had been opposing the proposal made by the Government of Assam to change the nomenclature North Cachar Hills district to ‘Dima Hasao District’ as a gift for the surrendering of arms and joining of the mainstream by the DHD (J) in 2009. The Government of Assam, however, rechristened the district as they had proposed without paying any heed to the demand of the IPF.
The IPF, with its fraternal organizations like Indigenous Students’ Forum (ISF) as its students’ wing and Indigenous Womens’ Forum (IWF) as its Womens’ wing, started demanding bifurcation of the North Cachar Hills into two Autonomous Districts with two separate Autonomous District Councils – one for the non-Dimasas and another for the Dimasa community under 3(c) of Article 244(2) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
It is worthwhile to note that a mass rally was taken out on 6th June, 2011 at Haflong by the Indigenous people of Dima Hasao district, under the leadership of IPF / NCHISF / NCHIWF to pressurise the government for immediate bifurcation of North Cachar Hills district into two Autonomous Districts. The memorandum alleged that the non – Dimasa community was facing a lot of problems which are a direct result of the delay in fulfilling the constitutional demand for bifurcation. It also stated, “In no uncertain terms, that bifurcation will be achieved by hook or by cook, through any means and at whatever price.” The memorandum reiterated that “The said district should be immediately bifurcated into two Autonomous districts - one for the non- Dimasas and the other for the Dimasas under 3(c) of Article 244(2) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.”
It may be said in conclusion that the recent violence is the indirect result of the political trends in this district as well as the role played by the Government of Assam in bringing militants to the mainstream without caring about the sentiments of the non-Dimasa communities and as a direct result, opportunists are taking the opportunity to strike when demand for bifurcation is a heated subject among the non-Dimasas. However, it is also seen that those who are behind all these activities do not want to create trouble for the general public as a whole knowing that the people of this district have already suffered a lot in the past.
To know about the politics of this district one must know what is in the deep rooted political agenda of expert politicians here. What the politicians are very conscious about in their game is that the Dimasas unite with the single largest population. Zemes are united and constitute the second largest chunk of the tribal population. If and when the Kukis are revived and unite as per any Kuki tribe recognized since historical times they will constitute the second largest chunk (Kuki,Hmar, Lushai/Mizo, Biete, Hrangkhol, Khelma, Vaiphei, etc where the total will be 27,509 while the Zeme Nagas constitute only 11,469). Some politically conscious leaders among the Kuki and Hmar often try but have failed to emulate Dimasa leaders are also very conscious of this and may never give them a chance.
