Explained: The protests that led to the deaths of two people in Assam’s Dima Hasao district

Assam’s Dima Hasao district – home to the state’s Dimasa tribe, among other people from a range of communities – is under siege. On Thursday, a protest in the district’s Maibang area turned violent, leading to the deaths of two civilians in police firing.

The protesters had blocked and damaged railway tracks in the area, halting train services to Assam’s southern districts. The police contend the protesters had attacked officials trying to evict the protesters to clear the track, forcing the them to retaliate. Protesters accuse the police of instigating violence and lathicharging them without warning. As of Saturday evening, more than 1,000 train passengers remained stranded pending repair works to restore the railway line.

The rail blockade was part of a 12-hour shutdown called by several Dimasa groups in response to widespread speculation triggered by news reports that the district would eventually be incorporated into Nagalim or Greater Nagaland, the state being demanded by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah). The main Naga group in talks with government, the NSCN(IM) envisions Nagalim as a sovereign territory consisting of Nagaland and engulfing “all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas”, including parts of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar across the border. The hill district of Dima Hasao forms part of the area in Assam claimed by the rebel group.

While the NSCN(IM) has been in talks with the Union government since 1997, the negotiations are said to have gained a new momentum under the Narendra Modi government, which signed a “framework agreement” with the group in 2015. In fact, it is widely believed that a final solution to six-decade impasse is around the corner, with both the Indian government and the Naga rebels claiming in the last few months that they are close to a breakthrough.

With talks of an impending solution gaining currency, speculation about the exact nature of the framework agreement – the details of which are still confidential – has abounded in the media. This has occasionally caused anxiety for residents of Manipur and Assam, who fear they could be affected by it. The latest flare-up in Dima Hasao seems to be a result of the same apprehensions, although, several senior Union ministers, including the prime minister, have stated that the territorial integrity of states would not be altered by the Naga deal.

Missing the fine print

On January 19, the news website The Wire published a report titled Revealed: RSS Draft Plan for Nagaland Accord. The article affirms that the draft plan in question was only the “personal effort” of the Rashrtiya Swayamsevak Sangh North East veteran Jagdamaba Mall, even as it adds that “it is no secret that the Sangh supports what he has come up with to arrive at a peace deal as soon as possible”.

Among a host of other details, Mall’s draft, as reported by The Wire, suggests a “separate development authority” for Dima Hasao and seven districts of Nagaland and two districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Wire’s report was quickly picked up by several news organisations in the North East, including many dailies. Along the way, the fine print of the story as reported by The Wire appears to have got lost. Several reports lent an official attestation to a plan that was purportedly a personal suggestion by Mall, with headlines declaring Dima Hasao’s accession to Nagalim. While there have been no reports of any significant reaction in any of the other states so far, the story touched a raw nerve in Assam’s Dima Hasao, which has in the recent past seen several demonstrations against its inclusion in proposed Nagalim.

In fact, the district’s residents claim that the fears of being included in Nagalim pre-date The Wire’s report. “The rumours started doing the rounds in November,” said a local activist, requesting anonymity. “The Wire report seems to only acted as a confirmation of sorts.” The activist said that the confusion was a result of the government failing to come clean on the exact contents of the Naga framework agreement.

Chief minister’s assurance

Meanwhile, as tensions because of the news stories based on The Wire report became palpable, Mall issued a “clarification” on January 22, claiming he was misquoted and that his thoughts had been “twisted and turned in a mischievous manner”.

On January 25, as violence broke out Assam’s chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal also issued a statement in an apparent bid to diffuse the situation. “The state’s geographical territory will not be compromised,” he said. “The people in any part of the state need not worry about proposed Nagalim and people in Dima Hasao also should not have any apprehension regarding this matter.”

However, the chief minister’s assurance seems to done little to placate fears. During a protest rally organised by civil society groups in Guwahati on Saturday, several Dimasa activists pointed out the opaque nature of the Centre’s negotiations on the Naga deal, affirming that the district wished to be part of Assam.

On Saturday evening, Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, the reporter of The Wire story, contested Mall’s allegations, asserting that the RSS activist had “clearly asked for his proposed draft to be published”. She added that the story made it clear that the draft was Mall’s personal opinion and had no official sanction of any sort from either the BJP or the Centre.