North Kamrup violence

North Kamrup violence
Location	, Assam, India
Date	3 January 1980 (UTC+5:30)
Target	pro- and anti- Assam Movement
Attack type	Group clash
Weapons	Guns, spears, swords, scythes, bows and arrows[citation needed]
Perpetrators	Assamese/Immigrant villagers

North Kamrup violence was a series of violent activities between those who supported the Assam Movement and those who opposed it that occurred in North Kamrup, Assam, in 4–5 January 1980.^[1][2][3] Triggered by the death of a high school student, a member of the AASU, it led to a series of attacks and counter-attacks between Assamese and immigrant villages leading to a curfew.^[4] According to the Citizenship Rights Preservation Committee, representing Kamrupi Bengali speaking people, the violence was directed against linguistic, religio-linguistic, ethnic minorities and members of the CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) political parties who opposed the Assam Movement.^[5] Many of the victims were Miya of Kamrupi Muslims and it is alleged that the Army committed atrocities on Assamese villagers during the curfew.^[6] This was the first reported large-scale group clash during the Assam Movement.^[7]

Background[]

In some districts of lower Assam, Kamrupi Bengali Hindus have experienced violence directed against on the linguistic and cultural identity of the Assamese people.^[8]

Assam has been churned in the cauldron of communal, ethnic, and state violence in the name of Assam Movement during 1979 to 1985.^[8] Some incidents of them are the North Kamrup pogrom of 1980 in which a large number of people belonging to the linguistic and religious minorities were massacred. In 1981 Khoirabari massacre sword down nearly 100 Kamrupi Bengali Hindus.^[9][10] Similar massacres took place again in 1983 at Chaulkhowa Chapori and Silapathar^[11][12] in 1983.

Kamrupi Bengali speaking people were often harassed as foreigners and became the target of violence in the Carly phase of the anti-Bengali movement in Assam.^[13] At the beginning of the movement, many Muslim students of Kamrupi Bengali origin supported and joined the movement.^[14] They were pretended themselves as Assamese speaker, called Na Asamiya.^[a][15][14] Although, after some years while Assamese speakers became the majority in Assam along with Muslims who pretended them as Assamese speaker, Assamese people started violence against Bengali speaker including Kamrupi Bengali Hindus.^{[citation needed]} As soon as Muslim immigrants were diplomatically cheated by Assamese people and their community was targeted, they turned against anti-Bengali movement and slowly withdrew their support.^[14]

Violence and victimisation[]

According to one version, on 3 January 1980, a group of students of Baganpara High School were visiting Barikadanga to supervise a three-day strike in response to a call given by the AASU for supporting the anti-Bengali movement.^[13] According to another version, the students went there to raise money for the anti-Bengali movement.^{[citation needed]} The village of Barikadanga has a mixed Hindu and Muslim Bangalee population, most of whom are immigrants. They attacked the students as students were there for spreading anti-Bengali movement.^{[citation needed]}

Read also[]

• Bongal Kheda
• Goreswar massacre
• Mandai massacre

References[]

Notes

Citations

Bibliography