''Assam separatist movements'' refers to a series of multiple insurgent and separatist movements that are or have been operating the in Northeast Indian state of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. The conflict started in the 1970s following tension between the native indigenous Assamese people and the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

over alleged neglect, political, social, cultural, economic issues and increased levels of illegal immigration from

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of 12,000

United Liberation Front of Assam The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) (Assamese: সংযুক্ত মুক্তি বাহিনী, অসম) is an armed separatist organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an indep ...

(ULFA) militants and 18,000 others. Several organisations contribute to the insurgency including the ULFA, the Adivasi National Liberation Army,

Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front was a militant group operating in Karbi Anglong district and Dima Hasao district (formerly known as the North Cachar Hills district) of Assam, India. Thong Teron was the general secretary of KLNLF. Karbi ...

(KLNLF) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) with ULFA perhaps the largest of these groups, and one of the oldest, having been founded in 1979. The ULFA has attacked Hindi-speaking migrant workers and a movement exists favouring

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

from the Republic of India. The alleged neglect and economic, social, cultural and political exploitation by the Indian state are the main reasons behind the growth of this secessionist movement. The ULFA seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via armed struggle. MULTA, on the other hand, seeks to establish an

Islamic state An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

in India via the jihadist struggle of Muslims of both indigenous and migrant origin. The Government of India banned the ULFA in 1990 and classifies it as a terrorist group, while the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

lists it under "other groups of concern". Founded at

Rang Ghar The Rang Ghar (), ( Assamese: ৰংঘৰ, ''rong ghor'' meaning "House of Entertainment") is a two-storeyed building which once served as the royal sports-pavilion where Ahom kings and nobles were spectators at games like buffalo fights a ...

, a historic structure dating to the Ahom kingdom on April7, 1979, the ULFA has been the subject of military operations by the Indian Army since 1990, which have continued into the present. In the past two decades some 30,000 people have died in the clash between the rebels and the government. Though separatist sentiment is considered strong, it is disputed if the secessionist movement continues to enjoy popular support. Conversely, assertions of Assamese nationalism are found in

Assamese literature Assamese literature ( as, অসমীয়া সাহিত্য, translit=ɔxɔmiya xaɦitjɔ}) is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the liter ...

and culture. The neglect and exploitation by the Indian state are common refrains in the Assamese-language media with some reports casting the ULFA leaders as saviors. Internationally acclaimed Assamese novelist

Indira Goswami Indira Goswami (14 November 1942 – 29 November 2011), known by her pen name Mamoni Raisom Goswami and popularly as Mamoni Baideo, was an Indian writer, poet, professor, scholar and editor. She was the winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1983 ...

has tried to broker peace for several years between the rebels and the government. In a recent development

Hiren Gohain Hiren Gohain (born 1939) is a scholar, writer, literary critic, and social scientist from the Indian state of Assam. Academic life Gohain studied in Cotton College, and did his graduation from Presidency College, Calcutta and then moved to ...

, a public intellectual, has stepped in to expedite the process. In 2012, all Adivasi militants including those of

Adivasi Cobra Force The Adivasi Cobra Force (abbreviated ACF), also known as the Adivasi Cobra Militant Force (abbreviated ACMF), was an militant insurgent group in Lower Assam, India, with the claimed objective of protecting the Adivasi people through armed combat. ...

surrendered. On 15 May 2019, twelve people were injured after a grenade exploded in front of a shopping mall in Guwahati. Days later the United Liberation Front of Assam claimed responsibility for the attack, and the authorities arrested the main suspects. In 2020 and 2021, all

Bodo Bodo may refer to: Ethnicity * Boro people, an ethno-linguistic group mainly from Northwest Assam, India * Bodo-Kachari people, an umbrella group from Nepal, India and Bangladesh that includes the Bodo people Culture and language * Boro cu ...

, Karbi, Kuki and Dimasa militants surrendered to the government of India. In 2022,

Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

and

Tiwa Tiwa and Tigua may refer to: * Tiwa Puebloans, an ethnic group of New Mexico, US * Tiwa (Lalung), an ethnic group of north-eastern India * Tiwa language (India), a Sino-Tibetan language of India * Tiwa languages, a group of Tanoan languages of the ...

Militants also surrendered.

References

{{Ongoing military conflicts 1990s in Assam 2000s in Assam 2010s in Assam 2020s in Assam * Separatism in India Assamese nationalism Politics of Assam Insurgencies in Asia Ethnic conflicts Rebellions in India

See also

References