It was a day of high decibel political events with poll results of
Jammu & Kashmir and Jharkhand due. The developments only increased in
intensity with rapidly changing numbers that initially gave BJP around 60 seats
in 81-member Jharkhand assembly but soon came down to the 'politically speculative'
zone and kept on hanging there, with no clear winners.
The hung scenario in both the states (with Jharkhand cleared later on
giving BJP majority) kept hooked everyone to analyse the situation further on
performances, on who will be chief minister, on what will be possible alliances
and so on.
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the country, somewhere near Bhutan
border in Assam, armed militants stormed villages, recklessly firing and
killing tribal people. We all failed to report it initially as it came, midst
the stormy political developments of the day. But as the death toll started
rising rapidly, from some 6-7 deaths to over 10, to over 20, to over 30, to
over 40, and to over 50 now, from different sources and from social media
activity, it was no longer possible to not to come to it, for everyone.
Around 5 PM this evening, militants of the Songbijit faction of the National
Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) started attacking villages in Kokrajhar and
Sonitpur districts of Assam. According to the reports, the firing continued
till 7-7:30 PM. Latest reports say the death toll has risen to over 50
including many women and children and any final figure can be arrived at only tomorrow.
It happened even after there were warning signals of it. NDFB(S) had
warned yesterday against the security forces killing two of its members on
Sunday. Also, it is not new to the region
of Assam. Ethnic violence in Assam has killed and displaced thousands and is
continuing unabated for decades.
It is horrible, shocking, sickening and humiliating on our collective
existence. And in such crisis hotspots like these places of India, it keeps on
happening, yet we fail to prevent it, yet India fails to keep an effective
check, India, the rising major power of the world.
For how long, will we remain in the shackles of political compulsions
to confront and eradicate insurgency threats in such places? The approach needs
to go beyond political considerations like votebank politics and appeasements
and needs merciless, iron-grip control and execution.
Before the parliamentary polls this year, a huge row had erupted after a
BJP leader from Assam had claimed that 'the Songbijit and Ranjan Daimary
factions of that NDFB had pledged support to BJP for the Lok Sabha polls'.
The rising death toll and the destruction of human lives, livelihoods
and families with every such attack, in Assam, and in every other part of India
must cost us heavily and irreversibly as a civilized society.