29-Mar-2022: The Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya signed historic agreement for settlement of inter-state border dispute in New Delhi

In presence of the Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, a historic agreement was signed in New Delhi today by the Chief Minister of Assam Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the Chief Minister, Meghalaya Shri Conrad K. Sangma, for settlement of the interstate boundary between the States of Assam and Meghalaya, in respect of 6 out of 12 areas of difference. This is another milestone in the fulfilment of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous North East. Senior officers from Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Assam and Government of Meghalaya were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on this occasion, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that today is a historic day for a dispute-free North East. He said Shri Narendra Modi has made several efforts for the peace process, development, prosperity and promotion of the cultural heritage of North East, which we all have witnessed, since 2014, when he became the Prime Minister. He said that after becoming the Home Minister in 2019, when I met the Prime Minister, he spoke about the priorities of the government in these four areas. He said that this journey from 2019 to 2022 has been successful in achieving a huge milestone.

Shri Amit Shah said that during the last three years, the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has signed several agreements to end extremism and bring lasting peace to the North Eastern states. He said NLFT (SD) agreement was signed in August, 2019 to bring the extremists in the mainstream of society in Tripura which contributed greatly in making Tripura a peaceful state. Then a landmark agreement was signed on January 16, 2020, to solve the 23-year-old Bru-Reang refugee crisis forever. Under this, more than 37,000 tribals who were leading a difficult life, are now living a life of dignity today. Shri Shah said that the Bodo Accord signed on 27 January 2020 resolved the 50 year old Bodo issue while maintaining the original form of Assam. The Assam Government and the Government of India have fulfilled 95 percent of the terms of this agreement and today Bodoland is known as a peaceful region and is on the path of development. The Karbi-Anglong Agreement was signed on September 4, 2021 to resolve the long-standing dispute in the Karbi regions of Assam. Under this, more than 1,000 armed cadres surrendered and joined the mainstream.

The Union Home Minister said that today another 50-year-old dispute is going to be resolved with this agreement. He said that in a very short span of time, six out of 12 issues have been settled between Assam and Meghalaya and about 70 per cent of the border between the two States has become dispute-free. He said the development of the Northeast is not possible unless disputes between States are resolved and armed groups do not surrender. He thanked the Chief Ministers and officials of both the States on behalf of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Central Government.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that efforts should be made in the Amrit Mahotsav year of Independence to realize the dream of Prime Minister Modi of a peaceful and prosperous North East. He said that from 2019 to 2022, more than 6,900 armed cadres have surrendered and more than 4,800 weapons have been surrendered to the administration. This is a very big achievement. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi calls the North East as Ashtalakshmi and with these efforts, the North East will not only become part of the national mainstream, but will also become a driving force in national development. He said the Modi government has taken many initiatives including Narcotics Free, Flood Free and Infiltrator Free North East. The Government of India and the Governments of the North East are moving forward in a time bound manner on all these fronts. Shri Amit Shah said he is confident that the strong political will shown by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, we will make the North East dispute-free through discussions with all the States.

​Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma and Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad Sangma expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Shri Amit Shah for solving this decades-long problem.It has been the consistent approach of the Central Government that inter-State boundary issues can be resolved only with the cooperation of the State Governments concerned and that the Central Government acts as a facilitator for amicable settlement of the boundary issue in the spirit of mutual cooperation and understanding. The Agreement will benefit people living in the area and ensure long lasting peace and boost development. This agreement exemplifies cooperative federalism and will provide a roadmap for resolution of other boundary disputes between States.

9-Mar-2021: Bodo Peace Accord

A Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed on 27.01.2020 with factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), All Bodo Students Union etc.  This MoS seeks to increase the scope and power of Bodoland Territorial Council and to streamline its functioning; resolve issues related to Bodo people residing outside Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD); promote and protect Bodo’s social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities; provide legislative protection for the land rights of tribals; ensure quick development of tribal areas and rehabilitate members of NDFB factions. MoS also provides for establishing a Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council as per existing procedure, notifying Bodo language as an associate official language in the State and to set up a separate directorate for Bodo medium schools.  A provision is also there for a special Development package of Rs.1500 crores to undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas.

In pursuance of Clause 3.1 of MoS relating to ‘Alteration of Area of BTAD’, Govt. of Assam has appointed a Commission on 29th September, 2020 to examine inter-alia and recommend on inclusion of villages contiguous to BTAD and having majority tribal population, as demanded by Bodo organizations and exclusion of villages currently under BTAD which are contiguous to non-Sixth Schedule areas and have majority non-tribal population.

4-Feb-2020: Prime Minster to participate in the celebrations of the signing Historic Bodo Agreement

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shall be visiting Kokrajhar in Assam to participate in the celebrations of the signing of the Bodo Agreement, on the 7th of February 2020.

More than 4,00,000 people from the BTAD districts and all over Assam are expected to attend the programme. ​A Cultural programme of ethnic groups of Assam is being organised by the State Government, to showcase the diversity of the state.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shall address the gathering to hail the historic Bodo Agreement signed in January this area, by including the leading stakeholders under one framework.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi on the 27th of January 2020.

The agreement is in accordance with the Prime Minister’s vision of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” and commitment towards a holistic development of the North-East, ending a five decade old Bodo crisis.

Over 1615 cadres of different factions of the NDFB have surrendered their arms and joined the mainstream within two days of the signing of the agreement.

The Accord with Bodo groups will further protect and popularise the unique culture of the Bodo people. They will get access to a wide range of development oriented initiatives. We are committed to doing everything possible to help the Bodo people realise their aspirations.

A special package of Rs 1500 Crore is earmarked for the development of the region.

The recent signing of the Bru-Reang Agreement signed by the Government of India and Governments of Mizoram, Tripura, to provide relief and succour to over 35,000 Bru-Reang Refugees and the surrendering of over 85 Cadres of the NLFT in Tripura stand testimony to the continued commitment and vision of the Prime Minister for the overall development and peace of the North-East.

In his interaction with the Nation through the “Mann Ki Baat” programme on the Republic Day, the Prime Minister gave a clarion call to all those on the path of violence to return to the mainstream and lay down arms.

“On the solemn occasion of Republic day, I would appeal to anyone in any part of the country, who's still seeking solutions to problems through violence and weapons, to return to the mainstream. They should have faith in their own capabilities and the capabilities of this country to resolve issues peacefully”, he said.

27-Jan-2020: Govt signs accord with NDFB, ABSU to resolve Bodo issue

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Assam government and the Bodo groups signed an agreement to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) in Assam, currently spread over four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.

As per the agreement, villages dominated by Bodos that were presently outside the BTAD would be included and those with non-Bodo population would be excluded. Bodos living in the hills would be conferred a Scheduled Hill Tribe status.

As of now the agreement had not addressed the issue of “citizenship or work permit” for non-domiciles in the BTAD, to be renamed as the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

Several Bodo groups led by the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) have been demanding a separate land for the ethnic community since 1972, a movement that has claimed nearly 4,000 lives.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who presided over the event, said the signing of the agreement would “end the 50-year-old Bodo crisis.”

Mr. Shah said, Today, Assam is united. Around 1500 cadres of NDFB(P), NDFB(RD) and NDFB(S) will be rehabilitated by Centre and Assam Government. They will be assimilated in the mainstream and will surrender on January 30 on Bapu’s death anniversary. No one will be called a militant now, they all are our brothers and sisters.

The memorandum of settlement says that the criminal cases registered against members of the NDFB factions for “non-heinous” crimes shall be withdrawn by the Assam government and in cases of heinous crimes it will be reviewed. Civilians numbering 2,823, 239 security personnel and 939 Bodo cadres have been killed so far.

Mr. Shah said that the families of those killed during the Bodo movement would get Rs. 5 lakh each. “Final and comprehensive solution to their demands has been made, while retaining the territorial integrity of Assam. After the agreement, the NDFB factions will leave the path of violence, surrender their weapons and disband their armed organisations within a month of signing the deal.” A Special Development Package of Rs. 1500 Crore would be given by the Centre to undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas.

Giving the contours of the memorandum, Mr. Sarma said, “A committee will decide the exclusion and inclusion of new areas in the BTAD. Subsequent to this alteration, the total number of Assembly seats will go up to 60, from the existing 40. In this committee, both the representatives of the ABSU as well as the present BTC will be present.” Bodo with Devanagari script would be the associate official language for the entire Assam.

The first Bodo accord was signed with the ABSU in 1993, leading to the creation of a Bodoland Autonomous Council with limited political powers. The BTC was created in 2003 with some more financial and other powers.

The BTAD and other areas mentioned under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution have been exempted from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, that enables undocumented non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014 to apply for Indian citizenship.

Recently, the MHA and the Assam government signed a suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the NDFB-S, led by its chairman B Saoraigwra, Around 40 members of the NDFB, including Mr. Saoraigwra, were brought back from Myanmar on January 11.

The other faction of the NDFB, led by IK Songbijit, who was expelled from the group, is not a signatory to this pact. The NDFB (S) has been involved in several incidents in Assam, including the December 2014 one in which 76 persons were killed. The ban on it was extended for five years in 2019.

26-Nov-2019: Central government extends ban on National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)

The central government extended the ban on the Assam-based insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) by five more years for its involvement in a series of violent activities including killings and extortion, and for joining hands with anti-India forces.

The Home Ministry has declared the NDFB along with all its groups, factions, and front organisations as an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Bodos are the single largest tribal community in Assam, making up over 5-6 per cent of the state’s population. They have controlled large parts of Assam in the past. The four districts in Assam — Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang — that constitute the Bodo Territorial Area District (BTAD), are home to several ethnic groups. The Bodos have had a long history of separatist demands, marked by armed struggle.

In 1966-67, the demand for a separate state called Bodoland was raised under the banner of the Plains Tribals Council of Assam (PTCA), a political outfit. In 1987, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) renewed the demand. “Divide Assam fifty-fifty”, was a call given by the ABSU’s then leader, Upendra Nath Brahma.

The unrest was a fallout of the Assam Movement (1979-85), whose culmination — the Assam Accord — addressed the demands of protection and safeguards for the “Assamese people”, leading the Bodos to launch a movement to protect their own identity.

In December 2014, separatists killed more than 30 people in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur. In the 2012 Bodo-Muslim riots, hundreds were killed and almost 5 lakh were displaced.

Alongside political movements, armed groups have also sought to create a separate Bodo state. In October 1986, the prominent group Bodo Security Force (BdSF) was formed by Ranjan Daimary. The BdSF subsequently renamed itself as the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), an organisation that is known to be involved in attacks, killings, and extortions.

In the 1990s, Indian security forces launched extensive operations against the group, causing the latter to flee to bordering Bhutan. In Bhutan, the group faced stiff counter-insurgency operations by the Indian Army and the Royal Bhutan Army in the early 2000s.

In October 2008, bomb attacks in Assam carried out by the NDFB killed 90 people. In January this year, 10 operatives, including founder Ranjan Daimary, were convicted for their role in the attacks. After the blasts, the NDFB was divided into two factions — the NDFB (P), led by Gobinda Basumatary, and the NDFB (R), led by Ranjan Daimary.

The NDFB (P) started talks with the central government in 2009. In 2010, Daimary was arrested and handed over to India by Bangladesh, and was granted bail in 2013. His faction too then began peace talks with the government.

In 2012, Ingti Kathar Songbijit broke away from the NDFB (R) and formed his own faction, the NDFB (S). His faction is believed to be behind the killing of 66 Adivasis in Assam in December 2014. The NDFB (S) is against holding talks.

In 2015, Songbijit was removed as the chief of the group and B Saoraigwra took over. This faction of the NDFB is still active, while Songbijit, himself a Karbi and not a Bodo, is said to have started his own militant group.