In Assam’s troubled Kokrajhar district, a village inhabited by both Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims, the villagers have overcome the feeling of mistrust and hatred spread by the recent militant attacks.
Both the communities have been consoling each other in the village at a time when the violence against the Bengali-speaking Muslims by the Bodo rebel outfit — National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) anti-talk faction — has already claimed the lives of 28 Muslims in Kokrajhar and Baksa districts of the troubled Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts of Assam so far.
“We have nothing against the Bodo villagers here. Although the cadres of the NDFB anti-talk faction have been targeting members of our communities for the last few days, the Bodo people of the village have been consoling us and asking us not to fear,” said Amjad Hussain, a resident of Nawerbhita village, 30 km from Kokrajhar town. Interestingly, the village is bifurcated by a road — on one side the Bodos live while it is the Bengali-speaking Muslims on the other side.
Their long bonding, however, had fallen victim to mistrust two years ago. The Nawerbhita village witnessed worst ever violence in 2012 when the clashes between the Bengali-speaking Muslims and the Bodos engulfed the entire BTAD and its adjoining areas killing over 100 people from both the communities and displacing over four lakh people.
Miscreants from both the communities burnt houses during the 2012 violence. But most of them who had fled the village have returned and started living a normal life leaving behind the mistrust. “We have started patrolling the village during the night after the fresh violence. The patrol team comprises members from both communities. We have no complaint against our Muslim brothers and we are living here peacefully,” said Raseswar Brahma, another villager.
“We have decided not to allow mistrust and fear grip us. During the 2012 riots too, some of the Muslim brothers of our village had migrated to neighbouring district for safety. However, we guarded their properties and handed over the same to them when they came back after the violence,” said Brahma.
“During 2012 riots, some of our community members left their houses and took shelter fearing attacks. Miscreants took advantage and burnt the empty houses on fire. Our Bodo brother here have tried to safeguard our houses as far as they can,” said Hakim Ali, another resident of the village.