The role of the state in the entire north east, in the name of suppressing the movements of the militant organizations is against human rights. Since 1990, so many incidents of women’s rights and human rights violations by army personnel have occurred in Assam that one cannot give a complete list.
Some examples—
· 28th Nov, 1990 at night Indian Army Jawans entered the village Kopohowa of Dibrugarh district and raped eight women.
· December 4,
1990, two men of the Indian Army brutally raped 14-year old Phulmai Tapnna and
Karuna in Lakhimpur district.
· January 7,
1991 in village Adarsa in Lakhimpur districts Nayantara Hazarika, a mother of a
one month old baby was raped by Army personnel.
· Oct 6, 1991
Raju Baruah a student of Chayduar college was dragged to the back of her house
of Gahpur and was raped by Army personnel and later on she was shot and was
thrown into a pond.
· Oct 16, 1991
in Nowboisa of Lakhimpur districts 14 year old girl Bhanimai Dutta was raped by
three Army personnel and she died. The army men blocked the post mortem of the
body three days. (‘Women Rights Violated by State in Assam’ article by MASS and
BWJF’)
· On 13th
August 2003 Nuril Terangpi, 12 years, was raped in Andrew Tesanggaon, Diphu by
Army men.
· On 25thjuly
2004 Renuka Beipi 21 years was raped and shot dead. On the same day Larsika
Rongpipi, 19 years, and Rukjili, 16 years, were also raped and shot dead in
Dikruit Timungof village of Diphu (collected from KNCA).
Assam was declared a “disturbed area” on 27th November 1990 by the Centre under section 3 of AFSPAC. There has been increasing opposition to AFSPA by different Government-instituted committees and civil society organizations. The report of the committee headed by Justice (retd.)
B.P. Jeevan
Reddy to review AFSPA in 2005 clearly mentioned that the rule of law had become
a ‘symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination
and highhandedness’4 The impact of AFSPA can be seen on women in terms of
restriction of mobility and fear psychosis. The impact of state repression,
operation of army has already been discussed under the head ‘Impact on women’s
lives’.
The role of
the state in cases of rape victims at the hands of army personnel and in case
of mothers of those killed by army personnel, the government’s role is
restricted to the announcement of a nominal financial aid, in most cases it is
also not seen. The state must surely take steps for their rehabilitation.
Women bear
the brunt when the state fails to prevent massacres like the Nellie massacre or
the numerous massacres of tea tribes in Bodoland. Most of the victims in the
massacres were women and children as men mostly run away and hide in the nearby
forests and the hapless women and children are left behind or they become the
soft targets in general.
The violence
against women has an additional dimension as sexual violence has become an
inseparable part of inter-ethnic strife as well as counter-insurgency
operations.
