NEW DELHI: India early this week set its armed forces on Assam’s tribals to carry out an operation called “Rhino” in an effort to crush dissidence. Later the entire state was declared disturbed and the state assembly placed in suspended animation.
This is the second army crackdown on the freedom loving tribal population of the eastern Indian colony in less than a year after the first named “operation Bajrang” left bitter memories of mass murders and rapes.
Indian Home Minister Chavan made it a point to quote from a letter the government received from Assam Chief
Minister Saikia alleging Assam dissidents’ “links” with China Bangla Dash and Burma but was quick to make Delhi’s attitude the charge look non-committal when he said that all the three neighboring countries had denied their involvement.
The Indian Govt declared entire state of Assam as “disturbed” to free the armed forces’ personnel from any accountability in the event of loss of life of the innocent population or excesses against militants.
Early reports about the progress of the action indicated that the-army could arrest about 100 volunteers of the ULFA the militant organization spearheading the secessionist movement. Meanwhile the fate of the seven Indian ONGC officials held hostage by the ULFA is unknown. The latter has said it will free the Indian officers only after Delhi releases all ULFA detenus held for years without any trial.
The opposition Janata Dal in a statement criticized the deployment of the army in Assam again and called for a political solution to the Assam problem.
‘The main Assam opposition party Assam Gana Parishad condemned the state government for taking “such a major decision” without even informing the Assembly now in election at Guwahati the state’s capital.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
