Author: PNS
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 14, 2012
URL: http://dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/360-todays-newspaper/87264-assam-the-next-kashmir.html

The influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into the North-Eastern States has not only changed the demographic profile of a number of districts in the region, but has also led to proliferation of Islamist fundamentalist outfits that have a long-term aspiration of creating an exclusive homeland for their community.

Out of the 38 insurgent outfits operating in Assam, 13 groups are related to Islamists. They include Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam, Muslim United Liberation Front of Assam, Muslim Security Council of Assam, Islamic Liberation Army of Assam, Muslim Volunteer Force, Muslim Liberation Army, Muslim Security Force, Islamic Sevak Sangh, Islamic United Reformation Protest of India, United Muslim Liberation Front of Assam, Revolutionary Muslim Commandos, Muslim Tiger Force, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jihad.

While there are growing concerns over illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and failure of measures to check such infiltration, the UPA Government has chosen to ignore the warnings.

A 48-page “restricted” report of the Intelligence Cell of the CRPF, on North-East insurgency and security projection for the region, terms illegal migration from Bangladesh as a major issue in the region, particularly in Assam.

“Whatever may be the source of this migration, it seems that it is gradually leading to a significant change in the demographic character of the affected areas. Available data from the south Assam districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi show that there has been a significant rise in the Muslim composition in these areas,” said the report, adding the proportionate composition of the Hindus and Muslims in the districts has decreased and increased by almost three percentage points over a 10-year period between 1991 and 2001.

“A clear fallout of this increase is the effect in the democratic process in the State. While the issue has remained significant in the region for at least the past three decades, there is an increasing nervousness on the issue particularly in the ethnic communities,” warned the report.

A senior CRPF official said, “The violence between Bodos and Muslims in Udalgiri district in 2008 and the present communal clashes in Assam reflect the nervousness amongst the ethnic groups who see an existential threat due to the changing demographics in the region.”

The report further warned, "It is variously argued that this migration (from Bangladesh) does not exist at all or is primarily economic in nature. The extreme poverty of these migrants, however, makes them vulnerable to influences including fundamentalism."

On the issue of Evolving Meaningful Operational Strategies in the North-East including against the Islamists, the report said, "A few aspects of the insurgent problem in the region may, at this point in time, require only a close monitoring. These are essentially the developments with respect to the strategies of hardline Islamic organisation as also the factional relations between various insurgent groups. These are areas that have strong political undercurrents and would, therefore, require careful handling. Nevertheless the serious security implication of these issues would require more than adequate attention to these areas."

The report classifies insurgent groups into three broad categories - groups with sub-national aspirations within existing territorial divisions, insurgents representing their own ethnic domains striving to achieve exclusivity in their respective areas and an "emerging class of religious secessionists essentially comprising Islamic fundamentalists who have a long-term agenda of creating an exclusive homeland in the region."

The third category is essentially represented by the groups championing religious issues and is mostly associated with Islamists. Such secessionist groups have their base in the region including in Assam.

In terms of the number of active insurgent outfits, the North-East dominates the national level figures. Some States like Manipur even exceed the figures reported from the hot-bed of secessionist activities in the country - Jammu and Kashmir.

Due to an acute shortage of cadres, anti-talk faction of ULFA has been involved in recruitment of Muslims from both Bangladesh and India. The NSCN(IM) also has a large number of Muslim cadres.

Illegal migration from Bangladesh is a prominent issue for mobilisation by some insurgent groups.

During the Chief Ministers' conference in the preceding years, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio underscored the menace of influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into his State. He has also expressed concern over the spurt in growth of Masjids and madrasas. Such demographic changes, he had said, require urgent attention as they will add to the tensions that are already prevalent in a volatile insurgency situation. He had outlined the decadal population growth of Muslims in Nagaland to 64.41 per cent, highest in the country. Dimapur and Wokha districts bordering Assam have recorded exceptionally high rates of population growth and had flagged concerns over changing demographic profile in several areas of the State.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has sought strengthening of the 36 Foreigners Tribunals constituted under the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 from Union Government so that a large number of pending cases against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are disposed off.

Gogoi has also been requesting the Centre to completely seal the international border by fencing and floodlighting of the entire Indo-Bangladesh border to effectively check infiltration, smuggling of arms and fake Indian currency notes (FICN).