Assam violence: State govt's utter failure? http://www.ibnlive.com/news/assam-violence-state-govts-utter-failure/53258-3.html
*Arijit Sen* <http://www.ibnlive.com/news/author/Arijit+Sen/> / *CNN-IBN*<http://www.ibnlive.com/news/agency/CNN-IBN/> [image: Time]Published on *Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 09:52*, Updated at *Thu, Nov 29, 2007* in * * *Guwahati:* Assam is still recovering from the shock of the adivasi rally that turned violent leading to deaths, injuries and an unfortunate incident of stripping of an adivasi woman. The fallout of an All Adivasi Students Association of Assam (AASAA) march, demanding Scheduled Tribe status only grew violent by the minute leading up to this police lathicharge "The reason for pelting stones was that during our procession, the Gogoi government did not have the road cleared and the cars disturbed the rally," says Anil Akka of AASAA. "The police was supposed to clear the road, they did not, we attacked the car," Anil added. For some women, it was a horror trip. It was 18-year-old Ajita Topno's first trip to Guwahati and she joined the procession in the excitement of visiting the city. She was wounded in the clash and is still recovering from her wounds. Ajita refuses to visit the city again. "I came here for the first time this is what happened," says Ajita. Some say it's a bigger political game to unite adivasis under one banner and that too at a time when the international tea convention was taking place in Guwahati. But whatever be the reason, the images of the bruised sentiments have stunned one and all. "She said that "*moi etia bahut hahuk paichu*" meaning I am very courageous now, probably it has given her a big lesson to fight back all odds and all the Assamese women and everybody are so upset. In our history something like has never happened," says writer, Indira Goswami. In the end one cannot deny that it was utter failure on part of the government that could not prevent both the vandalism by adivasi activists seeking scheduled tribe status and the mob retaliation that followed on the streets. But unfortunately what follows are just routine transfers and committees to probe into the mayhem that took place. _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
