Muslim and Bodo leaders Talk Peace in Assam

September 04, 2012: In a bid to explore peace in the midst of mistrust, rumours and violence, the leaders of both the Muslim and Bodo communities met at Bishop's House at Bongaigaon on Saturday and made an earnest appeal to the concerned people to live in brotherhood. The meeting was facilitated by the Joint Peace Mission Team (JPMT) and the Inter Church Peace Mission (ICPM) to reflect on the painful situation prevailing in the Bodoland area of Assam.

There were three leaders from the Muslim and five from Bodo communities apart from the members of JPMT and ICPM. The meeting was concluded with an appeal signed by Prof. Samsul Haque, President, Gossaigaon Minority Welfare Committee, Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, JPMT chairman and Bishop Nityanand Borgoyary, ICPM chairman. They appealed the concerned communities to- avoid violence, provocative statements and spreading rumours. Also they urged the media to be responsible while covering the events in the area.

The meeting resolved 'to encourage confidence building gestures to re-establish relationship between the estranged communities by giving assistance at the camps, organizing peace programmes and creating an atmosphere of welcome in the villages.' “Generating goodwill in the surrounding areas can be the first step towards peace,” suggested Menamparampil. It was resolved to have a meeting of wider representatives from all walks of life at Guwahati on 22nd September and a peace rally at Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar district on September.

While Prof. Haque echoed, “People are hungry not for food but for peace”, Bishop Borgoyary felt that though the group was small and the resources limited, yet their efforts of bringing peace must multiply, extend and expand. “I am an optimist and I am hopeful of crossing the barriers of hatred,” said Borgoyary.

Dr. Firoz Ahmed, the retired Joint Director for Health, Bongaigaon expressed his helplessness in 'curing the sickness of the mind' and he suggested to 'pray for peace'. “When there is a tragedy at our neighbour's house we rush for help and we empathise. So should be our attitude”, suggested Allen Brooks, member of Minority Commission, Assam.

Earlier, Bishop Thomas Pulloppillil of Bongaigaon, in whose diocese fall the violence affected areas, welcomed the delegates of both the communities and the members of JPMT and ICPM. Bishop Borgoyary narrated success stories of peace-making interventions by the ICPM during the Bodo-Santhal clashes in 1996, Bodo-Muslim clashes in Udalguri, Assam in 2008 and at Khandamal in Orissa in 2009. He wondered, “I am always thinking- what next? What can we do?” None present at the meeting seemed to have ready-made answers.

Meanwhile, the violence which has claimed over 90 lives and rendered 400,000 homeless seemed to have subsided for a while. And the administration has been getting ready with a rehabilitation package, though discordant voices being heard from different socio-political organizations. In the bargain, the innocents languishing in the camps are reduced to a miserable life.

-Fr.Thomas D'Silva