Protests in Delhi Over Pending Bodo Accord

NEW DELHI– Leaders and representatives from the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and other signatories to the historic 2020 Bodo Peace Accord gathered at the Constitution Club of India today for a high-level national seminar, marking the start of a two-day mobilisation to highlight the Central government’s delays in fulfilling key commitments of the agreement, nearly five years after it was signed.

The seminar, focused on the protracted delay in tabling and passing the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019, which aims to empower autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule by enhancing their legislative, administrative, and financial powers.

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Speakers emphasised that the Bill, cleared by the Union Cabinet in 2019, remains pending in Parliament, affecting not only the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) but also nine other Sixth Schedule councils across Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

ABSU President Dipen Boro, addressing participants, expressed growing frustration within the Bodo community. “The 2020 Accord was achieved after decades of struggle and sacrifice.

The people expected timely and transparent implementation, but many crucial clauses remain unfulfilled, eroding trust,” he said.

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He warned that prolonged inaction could undermine the hard-won peace in the region.

Key demands raised during the discussions include:

• Immediate transfer of promised subjects and powers to the BTR.
• Restructuring of the Bodoland Territorial Council and increase in seats from 40 to 60.
• Formation of village councils and municipal bodies.
• Granting Scheduled Tribe (Hills) status to Bodo-Kachari communities in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.
• Full utilisation of the ₹1,500-crore special development package.
• Rehabilitation of former militants, withdrawal of cases, and fiscal empowerment.

Prominent attendees included Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Sukla Charan Noatia, former BTR Chief Executive Member Pramod Boro, Assam MPs Amarsing Tisso and Jayanta Basumatary, leaders from erstwhile National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions, Bodo Sahitya Sabha representatives, and allied tribal organisations.

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Recalling four decades of struggle and negotiations, former BTR Chief Executive Member and Bodo Accord signatory Pramod Boro said, “I thank ABSU for convening this seminar at a crucial moment. For nearly 40 years, Bodo people and other tribal communities in the Northeast have carried a long movement. During this period close to five thousand innocent lives were lost.”

The programme is described by organisers as a “constitutional and peaceful appeal” to the Centre, framing the issues within broader debates on tribal autonomy and federal responsibilities.Tomorrow, on November 21, the groups plan to hold a peaceful dharna at Jantar Mantar to intensify pressure for time-bound action on the Accord’s pending clauses.

The 2020 Bodo Accord, signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, ended decades of insurgency by disbanding armed groups and promising enhanced autonomy and development for Bodo-dominated areas in Assam without altering the state’s territorial integrity. While the government claims significant progress, stakeholders argue that core empowerment provisions remain stalled.

No official response from the Ministry of Home Affairs was available at the time of reporting. The event has drawn attention to similar delays faced by other tribal autonomous councils in the Northeast.