Dear Shri Mahanta da Warm up Thanks for the insight on the unfortunate Galeki incidence. Yes you are right-CISF is meant to be checking security passes and stuff like oil tanker permits at the industrial installation gates, loading bays etc. It was clearly a case of overstepping their boundaries. Somebody was asking-why they are given guns? Till recently many of them were having only sticks. But now they are guarding all the vital oil/gas/nuclear installations other places like Akshardham, parliament, airports etc and role includes warding off terrorist attacks also. So guns are justified and so would have been the killing had the shots been aimed at some saboteur climbing a high security wall of an oil installation with a khukri and a naked torch. But here it was a case of sheer ego boosting exercise. CRPk dekhi uthil gaa, CISFe bule muku khaa. The officer must be punished. But no body is going to follow it up in Assam-so may be he will end up getting secretly transferred to some oil installation in Ankleswar basin. Are we in a position to do something to force authorities punish such high handed arrogant officials?
Now my baptism of fire in Assamnet! Coming to your last post where you refuted Ram das anguished declaration that you are always the fair and balanced by saying that your partisanship lies with my peoples aspiration of running their lives as they say fit. Respecting your siding and at the same time letting you know that my heart also lies with the aspiration of those same people for a better life, may I ask you the following small question? Background By my people you must be referring to Assamese people and by running their lives as they say fit you must be meaning an independent Assam. Are the Assamese people really aspiring to be free or independent from India? Yes-some are. But not all of them-not the ones I know of. As far as my relatives, friends, parents, brothers, numerous cousins spread all over Assam are concerned (and if you consider them my own people), freedom from India is not much of an issue for them. In fact for the younger ones-freedom from Assam is the in thing now. Longevity of most of the Assamese youths is now 18 years in Assam. After that all of them want to come out of Assam-be it for job or for studies. And those who stay back-many a times many of them are frustrated with the Delhi government but at the same time they are frustrated with the local government run by their own people. But by and large they never in realistic term contemplate a life away from India. They just want to a better life and seem to be quite weary of another neo-nation building exercise. But if my ongohi bongohi are not representative enough, do not the following point out that aspiration for freedom is hardly an issue with the majority people of Assam-Assamese as well as others? 1) AASU saying that it does not support independent Assam. So does Asom Sahitya Sabha. Also now powerful and vocal ethnic student bodies like AATASU, AKRSU etc have never endorsed this sovereignty demand. 2) Poll conducted in Assam districts excluding Barak valley (3 districts), hill councils (2 districts) and BTC (4 districts), said 95% people One can not discard the findings to be an orchestrated exercise as the guys doing the polls were not fools to come up with the findings knowing very well they can get killed for what they are saying. 3) The Karbis and the Dimasas of the hill districts always are always clamoring for certain degree of autonomy from Assam government but are never aligned with ULFAs Swadhin Asom demand. Same is the case with Mishing, Tiwa and Rabha student bodies 4) Three major communities of Assam-Ahoms, Koch-Rajbongshis and Tea garden tribes are demanding scheduling under Indian constitution. Ultimate goal is perceived economic prosperity and more representation through reservation and independent Assam is the last thing majority of these people have in mind. Question You may have reasons and a vision to side with the cause of independent Assam. What I am asking you now is whether do you agree or not that you are siding with a microscopic minority of the population of Assam who share the same vision whereas majority have discarded this idea for more practical reasons? Idea was romantic but in 2007 hardly there are any takers in Assam. A very specific question-dont you agree? Best regards Chittaranjan Pathak ____________________________________________________________________________________ It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/ _______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
