THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY July 30, 1960 Assam Disturbances: I Bongal Kheda Again K C Chakravarti THE recent unfortunate happen­ staged. Many of them own cinema sembly Congress Party when all ings in the Brahmaputra Valley houses where Bengali pictures are non-Assamese members opposed it. (known as Assam Valley) of the shown. Bengali dailies from Cal­ Before the matter came up for final State of Assam remind one of the cutta enjoy a large circulation in decision by the Assam Pradesh Con­ Direct Action Day organised by these towns. In some of them Ben­ gress Committee, Shri Chaliha made the Muslim League regime in pre- gali schools are flourishing well. an announcement in the Assembly, Independence Bengal, The State Many Bengalis are thriving as explaining why at this stage Assa­ Language agitation was started by doctors, lawyers, teachers, clerks mese could not be made the State job-seekers in Assam, and the force and occasionally as traders. language. The stand taken by Shri underlying the agitation is essen­ Chaliha was bold and wise, but, as tially economic. In the oil refinery DIRECTED AGAINST NON-ASSAMESE I had indicated in The Economic at Gauhati many non-Assamiyas, These Bengalis in general and Weekly of May 7, 1960, it did not not necessarily outsiders, are hold­ the Bengali employees of the oil seem likely that Shri Chaliha would ing good positions. In the Brah­ refinery at Gauhati in particular be able to control his followers for maputra bridge construction, under have of late become objects of hos­ long, the forces against him being a private Indian firm, most of the tility and humiliation. In the past too strong. engineers and technicians are non- they used to be jeered at and some­ Assamese. In the railways, which times even assaulted and stabbed.. To put pressure on Shri Chaliha, is an Indian Government enterprise, The culprits, very often, would be however, the agitators intensified many Indians of non-Assamiya students. They were being incited the movement, and the Assam Pra­ origin are employed. These non- by Assamese job-seekers and pro­ desh Congress Committee eventually Assamiya Indians in general and tected by college and university passed a resolution in favour of the Bengalis in particular are an authorities. The local police often Assamese, non-Assamese members eyesore to Assamiyas. felt helpless; and just before the opposing it. As the non-Assamese language agitation started, the areas of Assam began to protest, NOT BIRDS OF PASSAGE Inspector-General of Police had on the agitators, backed by all sec­ Outside Assam, an Assamese is one occasion to come with his tions of the Assamese public, resort­ one who lives in Assam whatever police force from Shillong to arrest ed to violence and intimidation try- may be his mother tongue. In a student from the University area. ing successfully to coerce the Cha­ Assam, however, Assamiyas or As­ liha Government to call an emer­ The word Bongal is used in a samese are those who speak Assa- gency session of the Assembly for wide sense in Assam. It does not miya and live in the six districts of introducing the Bill. refer to Bengalis alone. It em­ the Brahmaputra Valley. The non- ASSAMESE UNANIMOUS braces all outsiders. The move­ Assamese are those natives of The way in which the agitation ment known as Bongal Kheda spon­ Assam who live in the remaining was organised reminds us of the sored by Assamese job-seekers to five districts of Assam and whose Calcutta riots staged under Muslim drive out non-Assamese competi­ mother tongue is not Assamiya or League Government in the pre-lnde- tors, assumed the air of a dignified Assamese. They include the Ben­ pendence period. On the language and respectable agitation when the galis of Cachar and Goalpara, the issue, which practically aims at Assam Sahitya Sabha demanded that Hindi-speaking tea plantation driving the Bengalis from the Assamese must by law be made the labourers and the hill people like Assam Valley, all Assamese are exclusive State language for the the Khasis of Shillong. Besides unanimous. Congress and non- entire territory of Assam. The these natives of Assam who are not Assamese people belonging to all Congress leaders, politicians of all birds of passage, there are many shades of opinion, who love their shades of opinion, Rightists, Leftists, Bengalis, mostly from East Bengal mother tongue more than anything Hindus, Muslims, poets, priests, men who have settled in all the impor­ else like most other people in India, of letters, sober educationists, un- tant towns of the Brahmaputra at once began to support the move­ ruly students—all have wonder­ Valley. Some are displaced per­ ment. fully cooperated. The town of sons from Last Bengal. Many of Gauhati was divided into a number them have cleared jungles, opened CHALIHA'S MOVE OPPOSED of zones. Zonal leaders were sta­ up communications, started culti­ Many of Chief Minister B P tioned with their student followers vation and rehabilitated themselves Chaliha's political and personal in each zone. If the police entered in the interior of the Brahmaputra rivals knew that this could not be one zone, the other zone would be­ Valley. done but they supported the move come active. In fact some Govern­ In the towns of Gauhati. Tezpur, knowing that Shri Chaliha would go ment officials too- Assamese and Nowgong, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tin- down in prestige and popularity in non-Assamese—have made their own sukia etc, almost half the population the Assam Valley. The issue of contribution, each according to his consists of Bengalis. They have their the State language was discussed at capacity, either through active parti­ own clubs where Bengali plays are a meeting of members of the As- cipation or through inaction. 1193 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY July 30, 1960 The strongest opposition to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police against Bengalis, the Assamese lead­ Assamese came from the Bengalis who was there was also not spared. ers made use of students without any of Cachar and the hill people from These two officers happened to be scruple. Congress leaders of Cachar, the four Hill Districts of Assam. Bengalis. Instances of many other who are opposing the adoption of A conference of Bengalis and hill Bengali officers, including police Assamese, were also freely employ­ people, held at Silchar. vehemently authorities, being assaulted and ing the students though not a single protested against the Official Lan­ stabbed have been reported. After case of stabbing death or arson has guage Bill, but what is astonishing this event, the police opened fire, been reported from Cachar, is that the Assamese did no violence and a student was killed. His body LIFE WILL BE INTOLERABLE to them. Victims of the Assamese was allowed to be carried by bus The State Language agitation aims violence were the Bengalis of the from Gauhati to Sibsagar, a distance at two things. One is to squeeze out Brahmaputra Valley, not of Cachar of about 200 miles. Along this long the non-Assamese from the Brahma­ and the Hill Districts. These Ben­ route excitement and violence pre­ putra Valley. In this they will be galis of the towns of Gauhati. Tez- vailed unchecked. For a number of successful. The Assamese sentiment pur, Jorhat, Nowgong. Dibrugarh. days law and order had completely being what it is, it likely that the etc. were living there for long and broken down in the Assam Valley. non-Assamese will find life intolera­ could he said to be well-settled. STUDENTS MADE USE OF ble in the Assam Valley. To a non- Knowing the Assamese language. Bengali clubs and schools were Assamese postal clerk, railway sta­ they had openly and publicly lent burnt. At one place, the houses of tion master or an employee of the their support to Assamese, Yet some six hundred Bengalis in one Central Government, life in the they were assaulted and stabbed, compact area were looted and set fire Assam Valley, subject to hate and their houses burnt and their pro­ to. It is difficult to believe that such ridicule on all sides, will be worse perties looted. Even their women large-scale violence could have been than what it is in Pakistan. He can were not spared. So. at bottom, let loose without cooperation from never feel that he is living in a State it was really not the question of various sections of the Assamese which forms part of India. adopting Assamese as the State people, including the Assamese police. language. It was the old Bongal The second aim of the State Lan­ In season and out of season poli­ Kheda movement in a new form. guage agitation is to impose Assa­ tical leaders, both Congress and non- The Bengalis living in the Assam mese on the non-Assamese of the five Congress, advise students not to par­ Valley and thriving in various districts of Assam. In this there will ticipate in active politics. Here on walks of life were to be driven out be no success. Even with the mani­ the language issue and in the drive and their places taken by the pulation of census operations, the Assamese. VIOLENCE NOT CHECKED The method adopted in all these acts of violence and intimidation was also like that of the pre-Inde­ pendence Muslim League Govern­ ment of Bengal. In the town of Gauhati as elsewhere, the Bengalis live in compact areas in large num­ bers. They are really not so help- less. Once the Assamese mob at­ tacked them, they would ably de­ fend themselves. When the attack was repulsed, the police would in­ tervene.