Contours of Ethnic Assertion: Bodo Mobilisation and Peace Process in Post-Independence Assam

The article titled "Contours of Ethnic Assertion: Bodo Mobilisation and Peace Process in Post-Independence Assam," written by Bikash Dihingia and Chuchengfa Gogoi, analyses the historical trajectory of the Bodoland movement and the quest for a separate homeland within the larger context of northeastern India's developmental politics. As the largest plains tribe in Assam, the Bodos transitioned from peaceful democratic protests for political representation and identity preservation—beginning as early as the colonial period—to a more violent phase characterised by armed struggle and inter-ethnic conflict involving groups like the NDFB and BLTF. The study details the evolution of this assertion through three major peace agreements: the first Bodo Accord of 1993, which formed the Bodoland Autonomous Council; the second Accord of 2003, which established the Bodoland Territorial Council; and the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord, which renamed the region the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). While these accords aimed to resolve decades of crisis through autonomous governance and financial power-sharing, the authors conclude that the movement's primary objective of a separate state remains unfulfilled, leaving the long-term efficacy of these solutions to be determined by time.