Assam is a state in northeastern India, situated south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. With an area of 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi) and a population of around 32 Million.
The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor. It is rich in agriculture and important economic center. Around 38 percent population of Assam is Muslims, and the birth rate in Muslim families is rather higher and there was a visible trend of increase in Muslim Population. India, wanted to change the demography in Assam and keep the Muslims as minimum as possible.
The state of Assam has been passing much political turmoil since long, as its neighboring states are all facing Indian suppression. Due to Indian brutalities in the neighboring states, many people migrate to Assam, a relatively better economic situation and stability. In the 1970s and 1980s, due to economic crisis in Bangladesh, some people migrated to Assam too. But in recent years, due to prosperity in Bangladesh, not only the migration slowed down, but some people from Assam have gone back to Bangladesh too.
Under “The National Register of Citizens” (NRC) Act, approximately 2 million people may loss Indian nationality. It has created a lot of panic among the locals. A list is notified of people who can prove they came to the state by 24 March 1971, from Bangladesh. And they are given only 120 days to prove it. At the same time, India has already detained thousands of people suspected of being foreigners in temporary camps which are housed in the state’s prisons, but deportation is currently not an option for the country, as lack of any arrangement with Bangladesh. The process has also sparked criticism of “witch hunts” against Assam’s ethnic minorities.
In fact, the hidden agenda behind this move is “RSS”, which is a Hindu extremist ideology and has been expressing their agenda “India is only for Hindus, all other minorities either have to convert to Hindu religion or leave India”. RSS has asked openly that all Christians may go back to the Western World, and all Muslims may go to Middle-East Arab World.
The history of this extremist ideology goes back to the 1920s, but they have not got enough political power in the past. All extremist parties gathered under the Umbrella of the “Bharatiya Janata Party” (BJP) and managed to secure a majority in the elections held in May earlier this year. Now the extremists have hijacked the Indian Government. They have penetrated all walks of life and have gained a position where they can implement their agenda.
Steps taken in Assam are just initial measures to implement their agenda. On 5th August, India abrogated the Indian Constitution and accessed Kashmir, which is an open violation of the Indian Constitution, Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan, and UN Charter and UNSC resolution on Kashmir.
India is engaged in crimes against its minorities. As the world is passing through “Islamophobia” so the target at the moment are Muslims, but they hate all minorities including Christians. If the Western World keeps silence on genocide of Muslims, the “RSS” extremists may be encouraged to the ethnic cleansing of Christian is its second phase.
Indian Army is trained to suppress the Minorities, they are encouraged and facilitated to kill, arrest, detain, rape and harass minorities anywhere at any time. Draconian laws empowered them to shoot at the spot on suspicion without any court trial or argument.
Human right organizations, NGOs, Media has been reporting the violations of human rights against minorities. In fact, India under the BJP has crossed all limits of Human Rights Violations. Although the International Community has been expressing their deep concerns on the deterioration of the situation in India, unless otherwise, concrete measures are not taken, situation may not improve.
It is an appeal to all civilized world, all peace-loving nations, and individuals to stand up for the justice and rights of oppressed. Force India to respect Humanity! Respect UN Charter!
Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomate), Academician, Researcher, Peace-activist, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), Islamabad, Pakistan