Book of Integration Council New - Ministry of Home Affairs

eminent journalist Shri Sekhar Gupta have been selected for this prestigious
award for 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Communal Harmony
Society is Assam is not communally divided. Even when there were
incidents of large scale communal violence in the rest of the country Assam
remained unaffected. The Socio Religious festivals like Bihu ensure participation
from all strata of society-religious or linguistic. The great Vaishnavite
saint Shri Shri Shankar Deva propagated the Ek Sharan Nam Dharma, the
quintessential essence being the oneness of mankind and all other living creations.
The people of Assam remembers Ajan Fakir, the great Sufi saint who
came from Baghdad, with the same respect as they regard Shrimanta Shankar
Deva, There is Pua Mecca (Holy Mecca of the East) in the State, which is
regarded as holy destination by all communities. The State has an integration
committee called State Level National Integration Committee for promotion of
communal harmony.
It is also seen that in Assam the clashes between various communities are
mainly due to economic and educational backwardness and not instigated by
religious animosity. It may be mentioned that there are instances in which
there have been incidents of violence among the tribals also. As an example,
the incidents of violence that took place in the hills districts of karbi Anglong
and N.C. hills of Assam in the year 2005 between the Karbis and Dimasas and
between Kukis and Hmars in the same year was for economic reasons and not
prompted by religious hatred. Similarly, there have been instances of violence
between the indigenous people of the State that took place in the districts of
Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon in the year 1996 and 1998 between the Bodos and
Adivasis which were not communal but was more of a confrontation for economic
gain in the form of land grabbing. There are even clashes within the same
community for economic gain and these obviously cannot be termed as communal.
Other elements contributing towards national integration
It is a truism to say that equitable development and removal of regional
imbalances would pave the way for strengthening national integration. It is a
fact that Assam is relatively backward compared to some developd parts of the
country due to historical and geographical reasons. We recognize that the Planning
Commission and the Central government have been taking steps for eliminating
regional imbalances, which is the root cause for militancy and alienation. We are
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