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| 20 Are Held and Curfew Is Imposed After Attacks on Muslims in India | 20 Are Held and Curfew Is Imposed After Attacks on Muslims in India |
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| NEW DELHI — The police said Saturday that they had arrested 20 people suspected of being associated with attacks that left at least 29 Muslims dead in western villages in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, where tensions between members of the Bodo tribal group and non-Bodo residents, including Muslims, have been simmering for years. | |
| The army has imposed an indefinite curfew in the parts of western Assam where the attacks took place Thursday and Friday. | The army has imposed an indefinite curfew in the parts of western Assam where the attacks took place Thursday and Friday. |
| The attacks, according to the police, were carried out in three villages by militants with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, an armed insurgent group that has been agitating for a separate state for decades. | The attacks, according to the police, were carried out in three villages by militants with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, an armed insurgent group that has been agitating for a separate state for decades. |
| The third attack, on Friday in Baksa, was the most brutal. According to the police, militants descended on an area bordering a national wildlife sanctuary, burned 35 Muslim-owned houses and then opened fire, killing at least 19 people. Of the bodies recovered from the area on Saturday, many were burned beyond recognition. | The third attack, on Friday in Baksa, was the most brutal. According to the police, militants descended on an area bordering a national wildlife sanctuary, burned 35 Muslim-owned houses and then opened fire, killing at least 19 people. Of the bodies recovered from the area on Saturday, many were burned beyond recognition. |
| The districts of Assam where the violence occurred are part of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District, named after a peace accord in 2003 between Bodo militants and India’s central government after more than a decade of a violent insurgency. Many militants agreed to lay down their weapons in exchange for autonomous status for these districts. | The districts of Assam where the violence occurred are part of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District, named after a peace accord in 2003 between Bodo militants and India’s central government after more than a decade of a violent insurgency. Many militants agreed to lay down their weapons in exchange for autonomous status for these districts. |
| Bodos now dominate the government overseeing the four districts that make up the area, often called Bodoland. But Bodo ethnic tribes are in the minority, making up less than 30 percent of the population. Many Bodos consider the Muslims, many of whom are of Bengali descent, to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. | Bodos now dominate the government overseeing the four districts that make up the area, often called Bodoland. But Bodo ethnic tribes are in the minority, making up less than 30 percent of the population. Many Bodos consider the Muslims, many of whom are of Bengali descent, to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. |
| Bodo-Muslim violence swelled in 2012 in Kokrajhar after riots between the communities spread, leaving at least 78 people dead and 300,000 displaced in refugee camps. The various ethnic groups in the districts remain polarized since the violence. | Bodo-Muslim violence swelled in 2012 in Kokrajhar after riots between the communities spread, leaving at least 78 people dead and 300,000 displaced in refugee camps. The various ethnic groups in the districts remain polarized since the violence. |
| The police said that an escalation of operations against the National Democratic Front of Bodoland caused it to lash out in retaliation. On Jan. 29, militants from it killed a police official in the Sonitpur district in Assam, according to the independent website South Asian Terrorism Portal. | The police said that an escalation of operations against the National Democratic Front of Bodoland caused it to lash out in retaliation. On Jan. 29, militants from it killed a police official in the Sonitpur district in Assam, according to the independent website South Asian Terrorism Portal. |
| Some have argued that the violence is related to India’s nationwide, multistage elections, as many non-Bodo villagers are believed to have voted for a non-Bodo candidate in the election in Kokrajhar on April 24. That candidate, Hira Sarania, said that the violence was a response by those angry that the main Bodo party, the Bodo People’s Front, or B.P.F., did not get votes from Muslims. | Some have argued that the violence is related to India’s nationwide, multistage elections, as many non-Bodo villagers are believed to have voted for a non-Bodo candidate in the election in Kokrajhar on April 24. That candidate, Hira Sarania, said that the violence was a response by those angry that the main Bodo party, the Bodo People’s Front, or B.P.F., did not get votes from Muslims. |
| “B.P.F. chief Hagrama Mohilary is responsible for instigating his cadres to attack non-Bodo villagers, particularly Muslims, because his party has realized it could lose the Kokrajhar seat,” Mr. Sarania said in an interview with The Hindustan Times. | “B.P.F. chief Hagrama Mohilary is responsible for instigating his cadres to attack non-Bodo villagers, particularly Muslims, because his party has realized it could lose the Kokrajhar seat,” Mr. Sarania said in an interview with The Hindustan Times. |
| Mr. Mohilary, one of the leaders of the Bodo insurgency in Kokrajhar in the past, went into mainstream politics after 2003. He denied Mr. Sarania’s allegation, and the police also denied that the violence was related to the elections. | Mr. Mohilary, one of the leaders of the Bodo insurgency in Kokrajhar in the past, went into mainstream politics after 2003. He denied Mr. Sarania’s allegation, and the police also denied that the violence was related to the elections. |