Democratic Organizations Silent on Rape of 11-year Old Minor in Amingaon

Our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR: For reasons best known to them, democratic organizations of the Bodos and other communities are silent on the rape of an 11-year old girl at Aminpara, Gurubhasa in Chirang district on September 1. Other than Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM), most of the well-known democratic organizations have kept mum and not even condemned the heinous crime.

In an incident of rape or molestation and other crimes, the frontal organizations like the ABSU, All Bodo Women’s Welfare Federation (ABWWF), Boro Somaj, Bodoland Students’ Union (BSU), Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), Dularai Boro Harimu Afad (DBHA), All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS), and Mahila Samity used to raise their voice and often come out on the streets to protest. But this time these organizations did not take up the issue for reasons best known to them. Members of local units of some of these organizations, including ABSU, visited the victim’s family while few organizations condemned the incident in the media but the central committees of these organizations took little initiative to raise their voice.

A mentally challenged minor girl of 11 years of village Aminpara in Chirang district was being treated by a quack for a couple of months. On September 1, the quack Azgar Ali visited the victim’s house for the girl’s treatment and taking advantage of the absence of other family members in the house, allegedly raped her. Though Ali managed to flee that day, he was arrested by police. Ali hails from Bilasipara of Dhubri district.

The working president of the BJSM, DD Narzary said it was unfortunate that the democratic organizations failed to take up the issue which would only encourage such crimes. Narzary said the unprecedented flow of suspected Bangladeshis into the State and their abnormal rise of the population had become a major cause of concern for the indigenous communities in Assam and BTC as well. He said the land of tribal people in Mauzabari area under Sidli Circle in Chirang district, which falls under tribal belts and blocks, had been occupied illegally.

The tribal leader said there were many pieces of evidence that the land of local tribal people in Mouzabari area was being systematically or illegally occupied by foreigners but the land records were still in the name of the indigenous people. He criticized the State Government and BTC authority for failing to take legal procedure and action against the land grabbers in tribal belts and blocks. He also said the rape incident at Aminpara was also due to the rampant immigration of suspected nationalities. He demanded that the State and BTC administration should take stern action against the rapist and make all tribal belts and blocks encroachment-free.