ConflictBarometer_2016

ASIA AND OCEANIA
Members of the Rajput and Maratha communities demanded
reservations under the OBC category as well, staging protests
in April in Uttar Pradesh state, and from September to November
in Maharashtra state, respectively. aho
INDIA (ULFA-I ET AL. / ASSAM)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1979
INDIA (SIKHS)
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
UNLFW, PDCK, UDLA, AANLA, HTF,
GNLA, NSLA, JMB, UPLA, KLO, KPLT,
KNLA, NSCN-K, NDFB-P, NDFB-S,
ULFA-PTF, ULFA-I vs. government
secession
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1947
Conflict parties: SAD, KLF, KTF, KZF, BKI vs. government
Conflict items:
secession, autonomy, other
The conflict over autonomy and secession, between the political
party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), its subgroup SAD (Amritsar),
and other Sikh groups, on the one hand, and the government,
on the other, continued as a violent crisis. The conflict
was mainly carried out in the state of Punjab.
On February 12, SAD (Amritsar) organized a celebration in
Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab to mark radical Sikh preacher Bhindranwale's
69th birthday, where speakers reiterated the demand
for an independent Sikh state Khalistan on the territory
of today's Punjab state and surrounding areas. Furthermore,
they demanded the release of arrested organizers of last
year's Sikh assembly called Sarbat Khalsa, as well as justice
for the victims of clashes with police, which had taken place
during protests following the alleged desecration of a copy of
the holy Sikh book in 2015. On May 24, Punjab Police arrested
a member of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), and a member
of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) for allegedly preparing
attacks against police officers, activists of right-wing Hindu
organizations, and several leaders of Sikh group Dera Sacha
Sauda (DSS) [→ India (Sikh – DSS)]. On June 6, multiple Sikh
organizations held a protest parade and a memorial at the
Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, commemorating the 32nd
anniversary of the army's 1984 storming of the holiest Sikh
shrine. 15 Sikh separatists also raised pro-Khalistan slogans
during the memorial. On August 10, security forces arrested
three suspected members of the Khalistan Liberation Force
(KLF) in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab. The group was reportedly
linked to Indians living abroad and to Pakistan's agency Inter-
Services Intelligence (ISI). One day later, police arrested four
alleged members of KLF and three alleged members of Khalistan
Zindabad Force (KZF) in Jalandhar, Punjab. On November
27, ten armed men attacked the prison in Nabha, Patiala,
Punjab and freed Harminder Singh Mintoo, chief of KLF, and
another Sikh militant as well as four criminals. Three police officers
were injured. Subsequently, Indian police arrested one
of the attackers as well as KLF chief Minto. On April 13, leaders
of SAD (Amritsar) and other Sikh organizations announced
to hold a Sarbat Khalsa in Bathinda, Punjab on November 10.
However, after permission was withheld by the state government,
the Sarbat Khalsa was postponed on November 9. Nevertheless,
the Sarbat Khalsa was held on December 8, when
around 2,500 Sikhs reached the venue, some of them forcing
their way through barriers put up by police. cch
146
The violent crisis over secession of various areas of Assam
state between different Assamese, Bodo, Karbi, and Koch-
Rajbanshi groups on the one side and the government on
the other, continued. While the United Liberation Front of
Assam Independent faction (ULFA-I) strove for an independent
socialist Assam, other groups like the militant Bodo organization
National Democratic Front of Bodoland I.K. Songbijit
faction (NDFB-S) or the Karbi People's Liberation Tigers
(KPLT) and other ethnic groups claimed areas inhabited by
their respective people. Most of the groups continued to operate
from hideouts in the neighboring states of Bangladesh,
Bhutan, and Myanmar.
Enforced military operations against militant groups which
had not signed ceasefire agreements, among them NDFB-S,
ULFA-I and KPLT, who mainly hid in the borderland of Assam,
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar, continued throughout the
year. Violence between the conflict parties resulted in more
than 69 fatalities throughout the year, including 45 militants,
4 security forces and several civilians. Though at least 362
militants were arrested during the course of the year, a rise
in criminal activities such as abduction and extortion as well
as new recruiting efforts were reported, especially after the
demonetization measure of the government, which banned
Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in November. For instance, on
February 14, two NDFB-S militants, who had allegedly been
involved in the mass-killing of December 2014, were killed by
security forces in Kokrajhar district, Assam. On April 29, the
government started joint border patrolling with Myanmar. In
June, the government ordered complete sealing of the Indo-
Bangladesh border. In August, members of NDFB-S and ULFA-I
carried out three separate attacks against civilians, killing 18
and injuring 23 in total. On August 5, a suspected NDFB-S
militant opened fire on a market in Kokrajhar, which killed 14
and left 15 injured. In response to the attack, security forces
killed the allegedly responsible NDFB-S militant. NDFB-S denied
any involvement.
On October 27, a new organization named the People's
Democratic Council of Karbilongri (PDCK) was formed with
the support of NDFB-S leader Songbijit to fight for secession
of Karbi people inhabited areas. It expressed its solidarity
with the militant umbrella organization United Liberation
Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW). On November 19,
three soldiers died and four were wounded by an IED ambush
by ULFA-I in Tinsukia district.
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