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Path: utzoo!linus!gatech!ut-sally!raghu
From: raghu@ut-sally.UUCP (Raghu Ramakrishnan)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: assam
Message-ID: <2698@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 16-Aug-85 14:09:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.2698
Posted: Fri Aug 16 14:09:40 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 21:21:47 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 16

An accord has been reached on the Assam immigrants issue. In essence,
those who immigrated to Assam after 1965 will be disenfranchised,
and those who did so after 1971 will be deported. The number of 
deportations that this will involve was not mentioned in the article
(New York Times, Aug 16). New elections are to be held soon.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Assam problem, several people
from Bangla Desh (adjoining Assam) illegally immigrated for the usual
reasons - better living conditions, jobs...  The Assamese, again as usual,
resented the newcomers since they felt that this affected their livelihood.
To complicate matters, most of the immigrants were Muslims and Assam
is predominantly Hindu and this has lent a communal tinge to the
acrimony. During state elections in 1983, there was an eruption of
violence resulting in over 5000 deaths. Students (and other Assamese)
have been agitating for the expulsion of the immigrants and the 
present accord is pretty much what they've been asking for.