Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah on January 24, 2021 attended a special function held in Kokrajhar, Assam to celebrate the first anniversary of the historic Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) agreement.
- Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah on January 27, 2020 had presided over the signing of a “historic” agreement between Government of India, Government of Assam and Bodo representatives, in New Delhi .
- This was the third Bodo accord to be signed in last 27 years. The first Bodo accord was signed with the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) in 1993 which created a Bodoland Autonomous Council with limited political powers. The second Bodo accord was signed in 2003 with the militant group Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), leading to formation of a Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) with four districts of Assam — Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baska and Udalguri — called the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD).
- The agreement proposes to set up a commission under Section 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India, which will recommend the inclusion or exclusion of tribal population residing in villages adjoining BTAD areas.
- The Government of Assam agreed to establish a Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council as per existing procedure.
- Bodos are the single largest tribal community in Assam. They make up over 5-6 per cent of the state’s population.
- The four districts in Assam — Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang — that constitute the Bodo Territorial Area District (BTAD), are home to several ethnic groups.
- In 1966-67 they demanded a separate state called Bodoland under the banner of the Plains Tribals Council of Assam (PTCA), a political outfit.
- In 1987, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) renewed the demand.
