The recent ethnic carnages in Karbi Anglong must be taken more seriously than the politicians of Assam (and of course, New Delhi) would like one to. The killing of 28 (till the last count) non-Karbis by Karbi militants must be seen not as a mere law and order problem problem caused by some youths gone astray. The ghastly incidents must be perceived from the point of view of the ethnic imbroglio that the Northeast is.
There have been too many gory precedents in the region so as not to apprehend the turn that the Karbi situation might take. The killings of Bengalis/Muslims/Santhals in the Bodo areas. The massacres of Bengalis in Tripura's tribal areas. Outsiders have been at the receiving end, and not surprisingly so. Killings cannot be justified, but such acts can be and should be understood.
But not if politicians can help it. Already, the Autonomous State Demand Committee and the Asom Gana Parishad have seen the unbiquitous Congress hand in the upsurge of violence. And the Bharatiya Janata Party is conviniently twiddling its thumbs because it has not yet seen a religious angle in the recent killings as yet. The United Peoples Democratic Solidarity, coalesced by the Karbi National Volunteers and the Karbi People's Front, has already been branded an extremist, secessionist outfit which is being remote-controlled by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim.
Very soon some proof might surface that these are essentially a ragtag group of extortionists working at the behest of the Inter Services Intelligence. Even if all this were true, the purpose of the politicians would have been solved anyway. Digressions solve the purpose of reaping cheap political capital. The issue is reduced to a subject of academic debate for sociologists, anthropologists and journalists.
But so far none of these demagogues have even dared to say how the demographic equations are fast changing in Karbi Anglong. Very soon the swarming Bangladeshis would have far outnumbered the hapless Karbis. And the Nepalis would be the second-largest ethnic chunk. Every one is aware of the demographic turnnaround achieved by Bangladeshi Muslims in Assam. They are the majority in certain pockets of many other Northeast states. Not many have a word to say about the Nepalis either. Perhaps Hindus cannot be outsiders or foreigners.
The overground groups trying to mobilise opinion on the aliens' issue have been too moderate. Bandhs, demonstrations and processions are not going to stop the Bangladeshis from trooping in. If these groups have not realised it yet, they never will. The euphoria over the Assam movement has long died down. It has also shown that agreements do not necessarily yield results at the ground level. Some people resort to violent means because that is the only form of primeval communication know. But then there are others who resort to the forceful way of communicating when moderate, peaceful methods fail.
Ethnic carnages have, by and large, been the sole domain of militant groups. But the Northeast is also witness to one major incident that was not -- Nellie, 1983. Why is it that only bloodbaths bring grassroots issues to the fore? Even these are ephemeral in their own way. The orphans and kin of victims of Nellie are still written about. What has been forgotten is the anger of the Lalungs.
In a democracy, it is the people who are supposed to matter. But the Indian democratic setup seems hell-bent on pushing the people of the Northeast where the Kalyanpurs and Kokrajhars will be a thing of the past. The Nellies are bound to make a comeback. Maybe not today. But tomorrow, most likely, yes.
