The Caravan – August 2019

24 THE CARAVAN

nightinwhatcametobeknownasthe
Nelliemassacre.Similareventsoccured
ona smallerscaleinShillong,where
theviolenceagainstdkhars—outsid-
ers—continuedintothe1990s.
Thediscourseofprotectingthe
rightsofindigenouspeopleissostrong
thatfewintellectualshavecondemned
theseattemptsatethniccleansing
againstBengalis.Notonlydothe“in-
digenous”peoplecontrolthestate
machinery,theircivil-societygroups,
militantstudentorganisationsand
armedinsurgentoutfitsposea signif-
icantthreattotheregion’sminorities.
Thedifferencesinpositionbetweenthe
region’ssub-nationalistgroupsareof
degree,notkind.
Themostextremeexpressionofthe
indigenousAssameseidentitymove-
mentwastheUnitedLiberationFront
ofAsom,whichfoughttoestablishan
independentnation-stateofAssam.The
ULFAhadsupportersacrossthepolit-

icalspectrum,includingjournalists,
lawyers,activists,politiciansandaca-
demics.Itsarmedstrugglewaslargely
againsttheIndiangovernmentandbig
tea-estateowners,notjustpettyclerks
andtraders.Itsformergeneralsecre-
tary,AnupChetia,nowrunsanorgani-
sationcalledtheNorthEastIndigenous
People’sForum,anumbrellagroupof
organisationsthatworkfortherightsof
theindigenouspeopleofthenortheast.
Manyformersupportersofthe
ULFA,andsimilarotherarmedex-
tremistmovementsinstatessuchas
ManipurandNagaland,havenowbe-
comesupportersoftheBharatiyaJa-
nataParty.Inthestrugglebetweenthe
bignationalismofHindutvaandlittle
regionalnationalisms,bignationalism
hasprevailed.SarbanandaSonowal,
oncea leaderofkeybodiesoftheindig-
enous-Assamesemovement—theAll
AssamStudentsUnionandtheAsom
GanaParishad—isnowthechiefmin-

isterinAssam’sBJP-ledgovernment.

TheAssamBJP’sleadershippredom-

inantlycomprisesformerAssamese

jatiyobadis—meaningpractitionersof

jati-basedpolitics.Thewordjaticanbe

translatedasraceorcaste.

Thecommonaversionto“foreign-

ers,”meaningBangladeshimigrants,

helpedHindutvaabsorbjatiyobadisin

Assam.UpdatingtheNationalRegis-

terofCitizenstoidentifyforeigners

isa commongoalfortheBJPandthe

variousstrandsofAssameseandother

northeasternnationalists.Underthe

exercise,theonusisonthoseliving

inAssamtoproducedocumentsto

provetheircitizenshipforinclusion

intheNRC.Themediahasreported

onnumerouscasesofpeoplewhoare

evidentlyIndiancitizens,buthavebeen

leftoutoftheNRCduetoerrorsordoc-

umentationissues.Currently,4.1mil-

lionpeoplewhoareresidentsofAssam

havebeenexcludedfromtheNRC,and

areatriskofstatelessness.Thecentral

andstategovernmentshadsoughtto

carryouta samplere-verificationof 20

percentofthelistinlightoftheevident

errors,buttheirrequestwasturned

downbytheSupremeCourt—ledby

thecurrentchiefjustice,RanjanGogoi,

whohappenstobefromAssam.

Accordingtoproceduresapproved

earlierbytheSupremeCourtunder

Gogoi,“indigenous”peopleweregiv-

ena shortcuttoinclusionintheNRC.

Theycanbeincludedas“original

inhabitants”if theycansatisfythereg-

isteringauthoritythattheyareIndian

citizens.Thereisnodefinitionofwho

is“indigenous”oran“originalinhabi-

tant,”orhowtheregisteringauthority,

usuallya state-governmentclerk,isto

besatisfiedaboutcitizenship.Thus,

thosebelongingtoanethnicgroupcon-

sideredindigenousaremorelikelytobe

declared“originalinhabitants,”while

anyonewhohappenstobeBengalior

Nepaliispronetobeingconsidered a

foreigner—fromBangladeshorNepal—

untilprovenotherwise.

TheBJP’splanwiththeNRCis to

eventuallydisenfranchiseonlythe

Muslimsfromthoseexcluded.The Cit-

izenship(Amendment)Bill,expected

tobepassedlaterthisyear,would ease

thepathtocitizenshipfornon-Mus-

limsfromthislot.ThisiswhereHindu

nationalismisinconflictwiththe little

nationalismsofthenortheast,ofwhich

AssameseandNagasub-nationalisms

arethebiggest.Forthesenortheastern

nationalists,providingcitizenship to

non-Muslims—alargechunkofwhom

areBengaliHindus—isunpalatable.

Largely,supportersoflittlenation-

alismssupporttheNRCandoppose

theCitizenship(Amendment)Bill. The

Hindutvabrigadesupportsboththe

NRCandtheCitizenship(Amendment)

Bill.Theonlypeopleinopposition to

boththeNRC,becauseofitsevident

errors,andtheCitizenship(Amend-

ment)Bill,becauseofitsdiscrimina-

torynature,areliberalsandsections

oftheLeft.Thisisa tinyminority.

Honourableexceptionsapart,there is

a familiar,deafeningsilenceeven from

thelocalintelligentsiaonviolations of

thehuman-rightsoftheexcluded.

Theonlysafeoptionforanyone in

sucha situationistoclaimthemantle

ofindigeneity,whichconferscitizen-

ship,powerandrespectinsociety. If

a personofBengaliheritageisable to

reinventherselfas“indigenous,” she

canimmediatelygofrombeinga pow-

erlessoutsidertoa powerfulinsider.

ManyDuttas,Bhattacharjees,Choud-

hurysandGoswamisoverthedecades

havemadethisshift.TheMiyas, too,

reinventedthemselvesas“newAs-

samese”afterPartition,andarestill

atpainstodistancethemselvesfrom

theirBengaliroots.Ina recentinter-

viewwithTheWire, HafizAhmed, who

isalsothepresidentofanorganisation

ofBengali-originMuslimsinAssam,

said,“WeareBengal-originAssamese

Muslims.WearenotBengali.We are

notBengaliMuslims.”Thewriter of

theline“WritedownI ama Miya”

added,“Weneveraskedtobegiven the

Miyaidentity.”

Perhapsthisstatementwillabsolve

himofhiscrimeofpoetry. s

in the crosshairs · perspectives

Following the creation of East Pakistan, Assamese–Bengali

tensions came to be articulated in new terms. The ruling

elites claimed to be the “indigenous Assamese,” and cast

Bengalis as “foreigners,” claiming illegal immigration from

East Pakistan.

w w