NEW DELHI:
The Delhi police, on August 8, cracked down on Bodo protestors belonging to the Bodo National Students Union (BONSU) and detained more than 260 activists immediately after they raised separate Bodoland State demands.
Formed in February this year, the newly formed Bodo students’ union, BONSU, has been trying to revive the Bodoland statehood demand which is said to have ended with the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord in January 2020.
“Earlier Delhi police gave us permission to organize the protest demonstration but later on police officials came to the spot and detained all of us,” said BONSU general secretary Hem Chandra Brahma to The Meghalayan.
Brahma claimed the Bodos are largely dissatisfied with the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) as it is not designed to fulfil their aspirations.
In 2020, Pramod Boro, the incumbent chief of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), said the Bodoland statehood demand ended with the Bodo Peace Accord, also known as the BTR Accord. The accord was signed on January 27, 2020.
Monday’s six hours long demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar which was organized protesting State government’s alleged failure to safeguard the tribal belts and blocks was stopped by Delhi police minutes after it had started.
“Even after the third phase of the Bodo accord signed between the government of Assam and the Government of India, the political self-determination and land rights of the Bodo tribes are not only being discriminated against but also neglected,” said Brahma.
Meanwhile, a delegation comprising members of different Bodo delegations called on senior Home Ministry officials demanding time bound implementation of all clauses of BTR accords.
The members from ABSU, NDFB (P), NDFB (RD), UBPO met Piyush Goyal, additional secretary for Northeast and AK Mishra (adviser Northeast) also reiterated their demand for special recruitment of Bodo youths in CAPF, Defence and Assam police.