Bandh turned violent in Assam; Manipur takes up to check illegal immigration; Manipur pushes back illegal migrants; Army moves to seize illegal arms in Kokrajhar; Nagaland returning to normalcy after clashes between the Sumi and Angami Naga tribes
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    • According to reports, tension gripped many parts of Assam, including the troubled Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD), following fresh incidents of violence on August 28 in which at least one person was killed and six people were injured. A 12-hour dawn-to-dusk Assam bandh called by the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) and other groups under the banner of the United Movement for Peoples Rights also added to the tension. The bandh was called to demand scrapping of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that runs the administration in four districts of BTAD. Bandh supporters also demanded the arrest of BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary. 1

    Meanwhile, reports noted that in the wake of the violence between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, political parties and civil organisations in Manipur have stressed the need to check entry of illegal immigrants. Manipur Home Minister Gaikhangam emphasized that the government of Manipur is ready to carry out an extensive exercise and check if there are illegal migrants in the state. 2
    According to reports, authorities in Manipur have pushed back into Assam sixty suspected Bangladeshis. Manipur Police have launched a crackdown in several parts of the state to flush out illegal Bangladeshi and Myanmarese immigrants. A total of forty nine illegal Bangladeshi and Myanmarese immigrants have been arrested and booked under the Foreigners Act. Over four hundred suspected illegal immigrants have been rounded up to verify their nationality. It would be worth noting that Manipur shares a border with Nagaland to the north, with Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west and Myanmar to the east. 3
    In other developments, according to reports, the army, deployed in Assam's troubled Kokrajhar district, has started an operation to seize all illegal arms and ammunition in the district. The army has started an operation in the district on September 2, 2012. The operation will continue till all the illegal arms and ammunition are seized in Kokrajhar. Similar operations might also be carried out in all the areas of Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) and in Dhubri. 4
    Reports noted that Nagaland Home Minister Imkong Imchen has said that the situation in the clash-hit area of Dimapur is slowly returning to normalcy after clashes between the Sumi and Angami Naga tribes. Meanwhile, the army would continue to patrol the affected area to assist the district administration in maintaining law and order. It would be worth noting that clashes between Angami and Sumi tribesmen erupted after one Kivika Assumi, accused of stealing a motorbike in Kohima, died in the custody of an Angami group on August 24, 2012. On August 26, the army had also staged a flag march in Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland a day after clashes. 5

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