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Assam governor's report stirs hornet's nest

Nitin Gogoi in Guwahati

Buried deep in President K R Narayanan's customary opening address to the joint session of Parliament was a comment that did not attract much attention among Members of Parliament except those from Assam. In his speech, Narayanan said that the government is committed to scrap the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983, applicable only in the state of Assam for the purpose of detecting foreigners. The President's declaration brought once again into sharp focus the question of foreigners in Assam. The latest controversy really began in late 1998.

The influx of illegal migrants is turning the lower Assam districts into a Muslim-majority region. It will only be a matter of time when a demand for their merger with Bangladesh may be made -- the loss of lower Assam will sever the entire land mass of the north-east from the rest of India and the rich natural resources of that region will be lost to the nation.

This is a paragraph from a report that the Assam Governor, Lieutenant General (retired) S K Sinha submitted to President K R Narayanan last November. It reopened old wounds in the state and triggered off a fresh debate on the subject. The 42-page report, which contains several controversial remarks and observations, has divided political parties right down the middle with the Bharatiya Janata Party asking the authorities to take the report seriously and the Congress calling for the recall of the governor for being communal and alarmist. What is the truth? Consider this:

* 57 of Assam's 126 constituencies have shown more than 20 per cent increase in the number of voters between 1994 and 1997 whereas the all-India average is just 7.4 per cent.

* Muslim population in Assam has shown a rise of 77.42 per cent over what it was in 1971 (there was no census in Assam in 1981).

* Four districts in the state (Dhubri, Goalpara, Barpeta and Hailakandi) are already Muslim-majority whereas three more are fast approaching that stage. At the time of Independence, only Dhubri was a Muslim-majority district.

* By conservative estimates, at least 1.5 million Bangladeshis are said to be living in the state.

Gen Sinha attributes all the above factors to population movement from Bangladesh which, he says, will reduce the indigenous people of Assam to a minority. The Congress, which has traditionally been soft towards the immigrants in Assam, says the governor has unnecessarily raked up an old issue. Contends Assam Congress chief Tarun Gogoi: "By saying that the Muslim population in districts like Dhubri and Goalpara may one day demand secession from India, the governor has cast aspersions on their loyalty and commitment to the country. This is unacceptable and unprecedented. We have in fact called for his recall."

A F Golam Usmani, MP and president of the United Minorities Front accused Sinha of trying to incite communal passions. "The report is full of inaccuracies and is an attempt by the governor to push the state back to 1979 when the Assam agitation started," Osmani, who is among the prominent critics of the agitation, said.

The BJP on its part however says Sinha's report should be taken in all seriousness. Party president Kushabhau Thakre said in Guwahati: "The Centre and the state governments should take the report seriously." Significantly, the ruling Asom Gana Parishad which first came to power in 1985 on the plank of anti-foreigners' issue has not uttered a word over the controversy as yet with chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta preferring a terse "no comment," to any elaborate statement.

Although there has been a mixed reaction to the governor's report in Assam, Gen Sinha is not far off the target when he says the influx still continues. Despite the vigilant presence of the Border Security Force and the completion of fencing along the international border in some sectors, resourceful migrants from Bangladesh find various ways to enter India.

As Kalyan Purakayastha, chairman of the Dhubri Municipal Board, says: "The fencing in the Assam sector has prevented fresh influx but now most of them enter India through the West Bengal border and then cross over into Assam." Purkayastha suggests that the National Highway 31 linking West Bengal and Assam be handed over to the Army to check infiltration. Linguistic, religious and ethnic similarities between the people on either side of the border makes the task of detection of foreigners doubly difficult.

Moreover, the BSF battalions that look after the Dhubri sector of the international border are stretched more than the norm. As a BSF official points out: "We have to look after a frontier of almost 70 kilometres whereas a battalion deployed along the international border in Punjab holds a frontage of only 30 kilometres." Even Gen Sinha has drawn attention to this aspect in his report. He says: "Additional battalions should be provided in the east with each battalion having a frontage of 30 kilometres." Gen Sinha has also called for speedy completion of the border fencing in Assam to prevent infiltration. BSF officials say, along with Assam fencing work along the West Bengal sector should also be taken up on a war footing.

To add to the BSF's woes, half of the international border in Assam is riverine in nature. Although BSF authorities make utmost efforts to patrol the mighty Brahmaputra by deploying engine-fitted country boats, speed boats and Floating Border Outposts the unpredictable nature of the river makes it impossible to have a fool-proof method of preventing infiltration.

In winter, the Brahmaputra divides itself into several channels which makes the task of the BSF water wing more difficult. As Sushil Kumar, deputy commandant of one of the battalions looking after the Dhubri sector, says: "The dry season doubles our work as we have to establish floating BOPs at many more places to check the movement of country boats plying across the river."

Strict measures at the border apart, Sinha has called for replacement of the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983 with a new legislation which he says should provide for detection of illegal migrants in a "just, fair and expeditious manner..." The IM (DT) Act has for long been a bone of contention in Assam. Its supporters like the Congress say it provides adequate safety measures against the harassment of minorities while the BJP and regional groups find it discriminatory. Under the IM (DT), which is applicable only in Assam, the onus of proving a person as a foreigner lies on the accuser rather than the accused.

Given such a deep divide, the influx problem in Assam, which everyone acknowledges is a product of economic compulsions, continues to defy an easy solution, the report of the governor notwithstanding.

ALSO SEE: 'No one looks at the problem from the national interest angle'

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