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Moderate's murder plunges Bodo issue into crisis

The killing of Boro Sahitya Sabha president Bineshwar Brahma last night by radical National Democratic Front of Bodoland militants has plunged the Bodo issue into its worst crisis.

''The Bodo movement may go out of control,'' cautioned the all powerful president of the All Bodo Students Union U G Brahma adding that Brahma was the moderate face of the Bodo movement.

Brahma, was assassinated in his house last night apparently because of his role in adopting Devnagri script for the Bodo language apart from the Roman script.

This is a contentious issue as the radical Bodos specially the NDFB were for the Roman script, severing all possible ties with Assam and the moderates opted for Devnagri script linking it to the ancient Sanskrit script, said a senior police officer.

Four youths entered his house and had an altercation with him. Altogether 14 rounds were fired from a nine mm pistol from point blank range. He was rushed to the hospital but died before admission.

As the president of sabha, Brahma played crucial role in reverting back to the Devnagri script for the Bodo language which had been seen as a defeat by the NDFB who had been fighting for secession and viewed that Devnagri script would influence the ordinary Bodos to remain within Assam.

The BSS had managed to galvanize the Bodo people to concentrate their energy for a separate state rather than a sovereign state and this had literally weakened the NDFB. This could be a reason for his killing, sources said pointing out to earlier killings of former All Bodo Students Union president Swambla Basumatary and former BSS president Bihuram Boro.

''Each time, the NDFB was behind the killings,'' said the source indicating that the Bodoland movement would find it difficult to progress smoothly.

A shell shocked U G Brahma said, ''I am shocked as Brahma was a harmless soul. The killing may force the Bodo movement to go out of control because he was the respected and sober face in the movement.''

Brahma had always been a strong advocate for a solution of the Bodo problem within the ambit of the Indian Constitution and opposed all forms of armed violence, including the demand of secession.

UNI

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