Barak Valley Bôrak Upôtyôka (Bengali) | |
|---|---|
     Clockwise from top: Nazirpatty, Silchar city;Silchar Airport,NIT Silchar, Goldighi Mall,Silchar railway station | |
| Etymology: The name "Barak" has derived from the Dimasa words 'Bra' and 'Kro'. Bra means bifurcation and Kro upper means portion/stream. | |
| Nicknames: "Valley of Peace", "Surma Valley", "Cachar Plains", "Srihatta"[1] | |
 The Barak Valley division in orange colour | |
| Country |  India |
| Region | North Eastern Region (NER) |
| State | Assam |
| Capital and largest city | Silchar 24°49′00″N92°47′50″E / 24.81667°N 92.79722°E /24.81667; 92.79722 |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | 2 |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | 15 |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,922 km2 (2,673 sq mi) |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 4,490,000 |
| • Density | 649/km2 (1,680/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Barakbashi |
| Language | |
| • Official | Bengali |
| • Official script | Bengali-Assamese script |
| • Additional official | Manipuri |
| GDP | |
| • Total(2025-26) |  $9.6 billion (nominial) $40.43 billion (PPP) |
| • Per capita | $2,138 (nominial) $9,004 (PPP) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Indian Standard Time) |
| HDI(2023) | 0.675 (Medium)[2] |
| Literacy rate(2024) | 90% |
Barak Valley is the southernmostregion andadministrative division of the Indian state ofAssam. It is named after theBarak River, whosewatershed roughly forms its northern border.[3] The Barak valley consists of three administrative districts of Assam:Cachar,Karimganj, andHailakandi.[4] The main and largest city isSilchar, which seats the headquarter of Cachar district and also serves as administrative divisional office of Barak valley division.[5] The valley is bordered by Mizoram andTripura to the south, Bangladesh andMeghalaya to the west andManipur to the east respectively.[6] OnceNorth Cachar Hills was a part of Cachar district which became a subdivision in 1951 and eventually a separate district.[7] On 1 July 1983,Karimganj district was curved out from the eponymous subdivision of Cachar district. In 1989, the subdivision of Hailakandi was upgraded intoHailakandi district.[8]
The name "Barak" is derived from the Dimasa words 'Bra' and 'Kro'. Bra means bifurcation and Kro upper means portion/stream. The river Barak is bifurcated near Haritikar in the Karimganj district in toSurma River andKushiyara River, respectively. The upstream of this bifurcated river was called "Brakro" by theBarman Kacharis of Cachar plains.[9][failed verification]
Barak valley excluding Karimganj was once part of theKachari kingdom. Some have suggested the word "Kachar" in Bengali language means a stretch of land at the foot of a mountain and Cachar might have been the name given by Bengalis ofSylhet to the land surrounded by mountains from all the sides.[10] Others have pointed out that the name "Kachari" is widely prevalent in theBrahmaputra Valley and that theDimasa people were known as "Kachari" even before they came to rule the Cachar plains, suggesting that it was the Dimasa people that gave the name Cachar to the plains.[11]
Barak valley Division comprises three districts, namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi.[4]
| Code[12] | District | Headquarter | Population (2011)[13] | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | Cachar | Silchar | 1,736,319 | 3,786 | 460 |
| HA | Hailakandi | Hailakandi | 659,296 | 1,327 | 497 |
| KR | Karimganj | Karimganj | 1,228,686 | 1,809 | 680 |
| Total | 3 | — | 3,624,301 | 6,922 | 523.59 |
The Barak river today splits into the northern Surma and the southern Kushiara between the towns ofBadarpur in the east andKarimganj in the west. Inscriptions suggest that in the 10th century the region around Surma and Kushiara formed frontier settlements calledSrihatta andKhanda Kamarupa established byKamarupa kings in the 7th century.[14] Till 1787, when Brahmaputra changed its course to meet the Meghna a hundred miles farther south, the land between Netrokona in the west and Sylhet in the east was inundated for half of each year forminghaors which made the higher plains of the upper Surma-Kushiara basin not as easily accessible from the west as it was from the Cachar plains in the east.[15]
The three districts of the Barak Valley have their own historical origins; nevertheless the region came to be defined not from a natural growth from political, historical or cultural lives of the vernacular groups present in these regions, but as a by-product of colonial empire building under theEast India Company (EIC) and theBritish Raj.[16] The pre-colonial kingdoms were not cartographically defined; they were rather defined according to heartlands and the defense of the margins were not important.[17] Territories were not necessarily contiguous and communities living in different places owing loyalties to different royal lineages implied territories.[18] The EIC interests led to drastically differently defined cartographic territories—for example, it was in the interest of the two contending parties, the Tripura and the Kachari kingdoms, to define a boundary running east to west across the Dalasuri to determine trade and transaction of goods along the river flowing south to north north and to determine whether Hailakandi was in the control of the Tripuri or the Kachari polity; whereas the EIC was more interested in defining a north–south border along the Dalasuri so it could be defended.[19]
In the 16th century, theTripura kingdom was in control of the Cachar plains, when in 1562 the Koch generalChilarai annexed the Cachar region to theKoch kingdom and it came to be administered from Khaspur (or Kochpur) by his half-brother Kamalnarayan.[20] After the death of the Koch rulerNara Narayan, the region became independent and was ruled by the descendants of Kamalnarayan and his group, and they became known as the Dehans (afterDewan). Between 1745 and 1755, the last Koch ruler's daughter married the king of theKachari kingdom, and the rule of Khaspur passed into the hands of the Kachari rulers who adopted the titleLord of Hedamba.[21][22][23]
The Kachari kings at Khaspur appointed Brahmins asrajpandits andrajgurus and provided land grants to Muslims from Sylhet for cultivation.[24] Some people from Manipur and the Ahom kingdom too moved to the Cachar plains following disturbances in those lands.[25] In 1835, Pemberton reported that the population of the Cachar plains was around 50,000 dominated by theDimasa people, followed by Muslim immigrants from Sylhet and their descendants; a third group was Bengali and Assamese immigrants and their descendants and Naga, Kuki and Manipuris forming the smallest groups.[26][27]
Hailakandi, claimed by both the Tripura and Kachari kingdoms, was a market town on the banks of the Dalasuri river which connected the resource-rich southern hills with the markets in the north along the Barak river.[28] In 1821-22 when Thomas Fischer surveyed the area,[29] he found that Hailakandi was controlled by the Kacharis, though it was surrounded by villages of the Kuki Tanghum community that owed allegiance to the Tripura kingdom.[30] In this region a past Tripura king received a princess from Manipur.[31] It was uncertain which of the three kingdoms the communities paid their tributes to and it effectively formed aboundary zone, a concept that differed significantly from the idea of clearly definedborders between kingdoms.[32]
East India Company had pushed into the region east ofSylhet town slowly after it won the right to collect land revenue under theTreaty of Allahabad in 1765.[33] Among these, Karimganj became a sub-division of the eventual colonial Sylhet district which became a part of Assam in 1874. Following a referendum in 1947 Sylhet was attached toEast Pakistan duringpartition of India in the same year, except for fourthanas of the erstwhile Karimganj subdivision that was attached to the Cachar district of Assam, India.[34]
Sylhet is farther to the west of Karimganj, also on the Surma. No state control existed in the Sylhet region till the establishment ofSarkar Sylhet when the Mughals established aFaujdar at Sylhet in 1612.[35][36] In 1303,Shah Jalal had established rule around Sylhet; and duringIbn Battuta's visit in 1346, the region was inhabited by Khasi, Garo, Hindus, Muslims, and others.[37] The Mughals began the practice of settling cultivators in the region around Sylhet, which picked up significantly only after 1719 and lasted till the beginning of East India Company rule in 1765.[38] The expansion of Mughal domains in Sylhet was part of an ancient process ofGangetic territorialism that displaced or assimilated extant populations consisting ofMunda,Khasi and other peoples.[39] The Mughal administration granted land in Sarkar Sylhet totalukdars, calledChaudhuri, in smaller land parcels calledtaluks, as opposed to largerzamindars in the rest of Bengal.[40] Sylhet was itself a borderland when the EIC acquired the Mughal Sarkar Sylhet in 1765.[41]
EIC acquired Sarkar Sylhet, primarily the frontier town, bounded by regions that were not in their control—Mughal holdouts moved freely in the lowlands controlled by the highland rulers out of Company reach; Khasi chiefs held most of the land north of the Surma; the land north and east of Sylhet town belonged to theJaintia kingdom; andTripura kingdom held most of the southern highlands and the adjoining lowlands.[42] The EIC, an erstwhile mercantile company, got into the revenue-farming and judiciary business with thediwani grant of 1765 and developed a keen interest in monopolising traditional trade routes and expanding settled farming for revenue.[43] This was achieved by marking boundaries—company officers served the EIC interests in generating more revenue and confrontingAva militarily, but they also served their own private commercial interests.[44]
According toDavid R. Syiemlieh, up to 1837 A.D. the plains ofCachar Valley were sparsely populated and were dominated by theDimasa Cachari, aTibeto Burmese tribe, under the rule of the Kachari Raja, who have established his kingdom's capital at Khaspur, Cachar plains. He had a good number of Bengali advisers (mostlyBrahmins) around him and gave grants of land to some of them, but the population resembled that of the North Cachar Hills of today as evident from various historical chronicles and sources. Bengali settlers from neighbouringEast Bengal poured into the Cachar plains after the British annexation of the region in 1832 A.D., turning it into a Bengali-majority region.[45] Once, Barak Valley from (1832–1874) A.D. was a part of theBengal Presidency under theBritish Empire.[46] The British Annexation of Cachar transformed the demographic patterns of the valley overnight. There was a sudden phenomenal growth in population, while the plains ofCachar had about 50 thousands inhabitants in all in 1837 A.D. that is five years after its annexation, which eventually indicates that there was a large-scale immigration. The population rose to more than five lakhs a few years later.[47] The population of Muslims in the colonial era Barak Valley decreased in the late 19th century largely because the fertile lands were occupied by earlier settlers of the region and later they immigrated to the presentHojai of Assam which was also a part of Kachari Kingdom up to 1832 AD.[21] A population 85,522 of diverse backgrounds including hill tribes, in the 1851 Census, Muslims and Hindus, 30,708 and 30,573, respectively, mostly Bengalis, constituted 70% of the total population of Cachar Valley, followed by 10,723 Manipuris, 6,320 Kukis, 5,645 Naga and 2,213 Cacharis.[21] Karimganj district, which have become a part of Cachar Valley plains after 1947, was a part ofSylhet before thePartition of Bengal (1947).[48] The region of Karimganj was under the rule ofPratapgarh Kingdom from 1489-1700s.[49]
In 1947, when aplebiscite was held inSylhet of thenAssam Province with majority voting for incorporation withPakistan. The Sylhet district was divided into two; the easternmost subdivision of Sylhet which is known asKarimganj joined withIndia, and now is a district ofAssam, whereas the rest of Sylhet joinedEast Bengal. Geographically the region is surrounded by hills from all three sides except its western plain boundary withBangladesh. Nihar Ranjan Roy, author of Bangalir Itihash, claims that "South Assam / Northeastern Bengal or Barak Valley is the extension of the Greater Surma/Meghna Valley ofBengal in every aspect from culture to geography".[50]
Assam's Surma Valley (now partly inBangladesh) had Muslim-majority population. On the eve of partition, hectic activities intensified by theMuslim League as well Congress with the former having an edge. Areferendum had been proposed forSylhet District.Abdul Matlib Mazumdar along with Basanta Kumar Das (then Home Minister of Assam) travelled throughout the valley organising the Congress and addressing meetings educating the masses about the outcome of partition on the basis of religion.[51] On 20 February 1947 Moulvi Mazumdar inaugurated a convention – Assam Nationalist Muslim's Convention atSilchar. Thereafter another big meeting was held atSilchar on 8 June 1947.[52] Both the meetings, which were attended by a large section of Muslims paid dividend. He was also among the few who were instrumental in retaining the Barak Valley region of Assam, especially Karimganj with India.[53][54] Mazumdar was the leader of the delegation that pleaded before the Radcliffe Commission that ensured that a part ofSylhet (now in Bangladesh) join with India despite being Muslim-majority (presentKarimganj district).[55][56] In return of that,Moulvibazar the only Hindu-majority district ofSylhet Division was given toEast Pakistan during partition.[57]
According to the2011 Indian census, Barak Valley had a population of 3,624,599.[58] Male population is 1,850,038 and female population is 1,774,561. TheLiteracy rate is 76.27%.[59] The population of Barak Valley is estimated to be over 4,386,089 people for upcoming 2021 census.[60]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1851 | 85,522 | — |
| 1901 | 630,302 | +637.0% |
| 1911 | 713,566 | +13.2% |
| 1921 | 751,560 | +5.3% |
| 1931 | 803,694 | +6.9% |
| 1941 | 895,140 | +11.4% |
| 1951 | 1,115,865 | +24.7% |
| 1961 | 1,378,476 | +23.5% |
| 1971 | 1,713,318 | +24.3% |
| 1981 | – | — |
| 1991 | 2,491,496 | — |
| 2001 | 2,995,769 | +20.2% |
| 2011 | 3,624,599 | +21.0% |
| 2021 | 4,386,089 | +21.0% |
| Source: Census of India[61][60][21] | ||
As per (2011) language census report,Bengali is the official[63] as well as the most spoken language of the region with approximately 2,930,378 native speakers.[62] Although Bengali is reported as the most spoken in the census, the most common spoken language isSylheti, a language that is generally grouped with Bengali as a dialect.[64][65][66]Meitei (also calledManipuri) is the associate official language of the region with 126,498 speakers.[67]Hindi,Bishnupriya andDimasa are the other most widely spoken languages with 362,459, 50,019 and 21,747 native speakers, respectively.Tripuri,Khasi,Odia,Nepali andMarwari are also spoken by a considerable minority, while 1.84% of the total population speaks other tribal languages.[62]
According to census 2011, the major languages ofCachar district areBengali,Hindi,Manipuri,Bhojpuri,Bishnupriya Manipuri,Dimasa,Khasi,Hmar andOdia in descending order of population. In the Hailakandi district, the major languages are Bengali, Hindi,Tripuri language, Manipuri and Bhojpuri. In the Karimganj district, the major languages are Bengali and Hindi.[62][a]
| Religion | Population |
|---|---|
Hindus ( ) | 1,812,141 |
Muslims ( ) | 1,744,958 |
Christians ( ) | 58,105 |
| Others | 9,395 |
| Total | 3,624,599 |
Hinduism, by a sliver, is the slight majority religion, whileIslam is the second-largest religion in the Valley.[58][68] The religious composition of the valley population is as follows:Hindus 50%,Muslims 48.1%,Christians 1.6%, and others 0.3%. Hindus are the majority inCachar district (59.83%) with having (86.31%) Hindu in the district headquarter; Silchar (which is also the main city of the valley). While Muslims are the majority inHailakandi district (60.31%) andKarimganj district (56.36%), butHailakandi town have (67.26%) Hindu majority,Karimganj town have also a Hindu Majority of (86.57%) as of 2011 census.[58][69]
Hinduism is mainly practised byBengalis,Dimasas,Tripuris,Meiteis,Bishnupriyas,Odias,Nepalis,Biharis andMarwaris living in the Valley.[68] While Islam is overwhelmingly practised byBengalis, with some small populace ofMeitei Pangals,Kacharis andBiharis.[68][70][71]Christianity is mainly practised byTea-garden community, and tribals such asKhasis,Mizos,Hmars,Kukis andNagas living in the Valley.[72][73]
The below are population by district tehsils in 2011:[58][74]
| Year (census) | Hindu population (%) | Muslim population (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 676,660 (60.63%) | 429,496 (38.48%) |
| 1961 | 821,600 (59.60%) | 539,457 (39.13%) |
| 1971 | 1,005,995 (58.71%) | 683,387 (39.88%) |
| 1991 | 1,381,803 (55.46%) | 1,071,872 (43.02%) |
| 2001 | 1,580,660 (52.76%) | 1,362,114 (45.46%) |
| 2011 | 1,812,141 (50.00%) | 1,744,958 (48.1%) |
| District Cachar/Tehsils | Hindu population (%) | Muslim population (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Sonai circle | 133,507 (41.17%) | 184,588 (56.92%) |
| Katigora circle | 131,352 (45.0%) | 156,290 (53.55%) |
| Udharbond circle | 87,423 (70.45%) | 32,320 (26.05%) |
| Lakhipur circle | 178,163 (61.04%) | 95,476 (32.71%) |
| Silchar circle | 508,540 (72.19%) | 186,142 (26.42%) |
Hindus are majority in three tehsils of Cachar district namely Silchar, Lakhipur and Udharbond, while Muslims are majority in Katigora and Sonai circle according to 2011 census.
| District Hailakandi/Tehsils | Hindu population (%) | Muslim population (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Algapur circle | 38,501 (31.72%) | 82,126 (67.66%) |
| Hailakandi circle | 47,198 (28.28%) | 118,626 (71.08%) |
| Katlichara circle | 79,019 (47.01%) | 84,044 (50%) |
| Lala circle | 86,476 (42.61%) | 112,857 (55.61%) |
Hindus are significant in two tehsils of Hailakandi namely Katlichara and Lala, while Muslims are majority in all the three tehsils, but in Katlichara Muslims form a plurality according to 2011 census.
| District Karimganj/Tehsils | Hindu population (%) | Muslim population (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Badarpur circle | 56,800 (34.49%) | 106,909 (64.91%) |
| Karimganj circle | 117,877 (42.36%) | 159,068 (57.16%) |
| Nilambazar circle | 58,767 (24.24%) | 182,567 (75.3%) |
| Patharkandi circle | 129,502 (49.55%) | 124,768 (47.74%) |
| Ramkrishna Nagar circle | 159,016 (56.42%) | 119,177 (42.28%) |
Hindus are majority in two tehsils of Karimganj namely Patharkandi and Ramkrishna Nagar, while Muslims are majority in Nilambazar, Badarpur and Karimganj circle according to 2011 census.
| District/(Headquarters) | Total population | Hindu population (%) | Muslim population (%) | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cachar district/(Silchar) | 172,830 | 154,381 (86.31%) | 21,759 (12.17%) | 3,310 |
| Hailakandi district/(Hailakandi) | 33,637 | 22,624 (67.26%) | 10,686 (31.77%) | 327 |
| Karimganj district/(Karimganj) | 56,854 | 49,218 (86.57%) | 6,856 (12.06%) | 780 |
Most Bengali organisations of Barak Region have demanded a separate state for the people of Barak within the Bengali majority areas of Assam, particularly Bengali majority Barak valley, comprising the three districtsCachar,Hailakandi,Karimganj, as well as historicalDima Hasao ofUndivided Cachar Valley and some parts ofHojai district to meet the criteria for creating a separate state for themselves by carving out from Assam's Assamese majorityBrahmaputra valley postNRC.[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]Silchar is the proposed capital of Barak state.[91] Barak Valley is the most neglected part of Assam in terms of its infrastructure development, tourism sector, educational institutions, hospitals, IT industries, G.D.P, H.D.I etc. which is still lagging behind in comparison to the Assam's mainlandBrahmaputra valley that has access to all of those facilities mentioned above.[92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99] On 20 January 2023,Barak Democratic Front's Chief Convenor and former ACKHSA leader Pradip Dutta Roy said, "If Centre is planning to grant separate statehood toKamtapur, then they should also fulfill the longstanding demand of separate Barak state by granting the region separate statehood".[100] On 7 September 2023, Assam Chief MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma delivered a speech at a rally in Silchar and stated that "If the people of Barak Valley want separation, I will not oppose that demand. Rather the people of Barak Valley should reconsider an independentBarak state."[101][102][103] The BDF subsequently conducted a press conference on 8 September 2023 and congratulated the Chief Minister for providing implicit support to the separation call.[104] The southernmost region of Assam that is Barak Valley has an overwhelming Bengali majority population of about 80.8% as per 2011 census report.[105][62] On 27 September 2023, members of Barak Democratic Front (BDF) held a press conference at the Kolkata Press Club shedding light on the long-standing grievances of Barak Valley residents while attempting to garner support for the creation of a new Purbachal state, separate from Assam.[106][107][108] On 29 November 2023, the demand for separate Barak state have been raised before the office ofPrime Minister andHome Minister and a memorandum was also submitted by the members of Barak Democratic Front inParliament of India.[109][110][111]
The indigenousDimasa Cachari people of Northeast India have been demanding a separate state calledDimaraji or "Dimaland" for several decades.[112][113][114] It would comprise theDimasa-inhabited areas, namelyNorth Cachar Hills, greater parts ofCachar district,Hailakandi district, significant parts ofHojai district andKarbi Anglong district inAssam together with part ofDimapur district inNagaland.[115][116]
Durga puja is one of the major festivals of Barak valley, as the region is home to a large population ofBengalis in Assam. Durga puja is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm in every part of the region be it rural or urban areas with great joy and happiness. Annually, on average 2,500 puja pandals have been organised by puja committees throughout the valley, with 300 durga puja pandals are being concentrated inSilchar alone.[117][118] The festival marks the victory of good over evil.[119]
Kali Puja is one of the most celebrated festivals in the valley after Durga Puja. Every year around 2000 Puja pandals are built in the region to mark the beginning of this festival and to seek the blessings of the goddessKali for general happiness, health, wealth and peace through prayers[120][121][122]
Busu Dima is an annualcultural festival celebrated by theDimasa Kachari tribe ofNorth Cachar Hills andCachar of Barak valley.[123] It is the biggest harvesting agricultural festival. It is celebrated after the completion of grain harvest in different villages of the valley and hills.[124] The festival is usually organised in the month of January.[125]
Baidima is a tradition festival of Indigenous Dimasa Cachari tribe ofNorth Cachar Hills andCachar. It is being celebrated in the month of January just after Busu Dima festival. The traditional dance continued for a week. On that day, along with dance they also sing songs. Inhaflong, locals organised cultural events, public meetings, rally and various programs related to this festival.[126]
Charak puja (Pohela Boishakh) the Bengali new year, is one of the most important and major festivals of the valley celebrated by the ethnicBengalis, irrespective of their religious affiliation and social status. This festival marks the beginning of Bengali new year and is being celebrated 15 April every year.[127]
Eid is also a major festival of the region as the Muslims constitute half of valley's population. Just likeDurga puja, every year lakhs of Muslims celebrated eid with great joy and happiness throughout the valley specially in Muslim-majority Karimganj and Hailakandi district.[128][129]
Over 80 per cent of Assam's Barak Valley areBengali people and speakBengali language. On 24 October, a bill was passed by Assam's late Chief Minister Mr.Bimala Prasad Chaliha in theAssam Legislative Assembly making Assamese as the only sole official language of the state.[130][131] On 5 February 1961, the Cachar Gana Sangram Parishad was formed to protest against the imposition of Assamese in the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley. Rathindranath Sen was chief person of the organisation. People soon started protesting inSilchar,Karimganj andHailakandi.[132] On 24 April, the Parishad flagged off a fortnight-longPadayatra in the Barak Valley to raise awareness among the masses, which ended after 200 miles reaching to Silchar on 2 May.[133][131]On 18 May, the Assam police arrested three prominent leaders of the movement, namely Nalinikanta Das, Rathindranath Sen and Bidhubhushan Chowdhury, the editor of weekly Yugashakti. On 19 May, the dawn to dusk hartal started. Picketing started in the sub-divisional towns of Silchar,Karimganj and Hailakandi. A Bedford truck carrying nine arrested activists from Katigorah was fired and the truck driver and the policemen escorting the arrested fled the spot.[132] Soon after that the paramilitary forces, guarding the railway station, started beating the protesters with rifle butts and batons without any provocation from them. They fired 17 rounds into the crowd. Twelve persons received bullet wounds and were carried to hospitals. Nine of them died that day. Two more persons died later. One person, Krishna Kanta Biswas survived for another 24 hours with a bullet wound in chest.[133][134][135]Ullaskar Dutta send nine bouquets for nine martyrs. On 20 May, the people of Silchar took out a procession with the bodies of the martyrs in protest of the killings.[136] After the incident and more protests, the Assam government had to withdraw the circular and Bengali was ultimately given official status in the Barak region by Assam government.[137][138] Soon after that a circular of Section 5 of Assam Language Act XVIII, 1961, was enacted to safeguards the use ofBengali language in the Cachar district. It says, "Without prejudice to the provisions contained in Section 3, the Bengali language shall be used for administrative and other official purposes up to and including district level."[139]
On 18 October 2021, a state government hoarding which was written in Assamese language has been found smeared with black ink in Barak valley's administrative capital Silchar's Petrol Pump area. It was found that two Bengali organisations namely: Barak Democratic Yuba Front and All Bengali Students Youth Organisation have been involved in that activity and have accused that the government of Assam has been trying to impose their Assamese language on us (referring to Bengali-majority Barak Valley) through Assamese hoarding as a starting and have said that "We strictly stands against it (i.e imposition)".[140] The smearing of the government hoarding has led to condemnation from people and various regional organisations of the Brahmaputra Valley, where Assamese organisations such asAll Assam Students Union andAsom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad have severely reacted, deeply saddened and protested against it. In retaliation, several Bengali hoardings in Assamese-dominated Brahmaputra Valley have also meet the same fate.[141][142][143] The political 'language wars' and strife between the ethnic Assamese and Bengalis have led to several 'martyrs' on both sides of the administrative divisions. On 19 May 1961, 11 Bengali Protestors atSilchar railway station were killed for protesting against forceful imposition of Assamese language in Barak Valley region. Similarly, duringAssam Movement of (1979–1985) or popularly known as the Assam Agitation which aims at detaining and deporting Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the state saw as many as 855 Assamese people gave up their lives to protect the Linguistic, ethnic and cultural identity of Assam.[144][145][146][147]
In 1947 duringPartition of Bengal period, it has been found that from 15 August 1947 to April 1950, theBengali Hindu refugees population in Cachar increased to 200,000 and but afterLiaquat–Nehru Pact it came down to 93,177 in 1951. According to 1961 census, the number ofEast Bengali refugees living in Cachar alone is found to be 156,307 which is way higher than the previous census.[148] No new Hindu immigration happened in the post 1971 period in Barak valley. Bengali Hindus who landed up in Barak valley from Bangladesh in the post 1971 census have moved out of the region before the 1991 census.[149] The number of Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh in Barak Valley has varied estimates. According to the Assam government, 1.3–1.5lakh such people residing in the Barak Valley are eligible for citizenship if theCitizenship Amendment Act of 2019 becomes a law.[150][151] There were reverse im-migration vice-versa trends as well. The Muslim percentage of the Cachar Valley have decreased from 42.48% to 38.49% during (1941–1951) period. On the eve ofPartition of Bengal andSylhet Referendum, most of Bengali Muslim employees hailing from Barak Valley opted for Pakistan'sSylhet and migrated there as refugees. Similarly, Bengali Hindu employees hailing from Sylhet opted for Cachar Valley and majority of them settled in the Cachar plains thereafter. Also during partition, most of the Sylhet-origin Muslim businessmen living in Cachar and Karimganj have exchanged their business, houses and residences with Hindu businessmen of Sylhet migrating to Cachar and Karimganj.[21]
In March 2020,Wasbir Hussain, the editor in chief ofNorth East Live and member of clause 6 committee while defining who is an Assamese have stated that the original inhabitants of Barak valley are a part of greater Assamese society and he further said that illegal immigrants and migrants are of different bracket.[152] Regarding Indigenousity, Those Bengali-speaking Hindus/Muslims of Barak Valley (comprising districts of Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj) who bears surnames like Choudhury, Mazumdar/Mazumder, Laskar/Lashkar, Barlaskar, Barobhuiya, Mazarbhuiya, Talukdar and Hazari and other regular titles mostly brought and given by Kachari kings are Native.[153] The Barak Valley region is often described as a division filled withBangladeshis. It lost its "Bangladeshi tag" after the finalNRC draft results were published on 31 July 2018. Mr. Paul, a resident of Cachar district, said that the latest NRC draft had put an end to the controversy regarding the citizenship of the residents of the Valley. He further said: "It was often claimed that they are all or the majority of people of the valley are from Bangladesh. NRC draft results have shown that nearly 90% of Barak residents areIndian citizens. The Barak Valley had a population of about 37 lakh, as per last 2011 Census. NRC draft have dropped four lakh of the 37 lakh residents, majority of whom areBengali people. As per NRC results, about 8% of the residents of Cachar, 11.82% of Karimganj and 14.2% of Hailakandi didn't feature their names on the latest final draft list. As a whole, about 11% residents of Barak could not make their name appears on the list.[154][155] The Assam Indigenous People Protection Committee has protested the exclusion of indigenous people in the final NRC list, which was published on 31 August 2019 in Assam's Barak Valley region. According to the Committee, nearly 1.5 lakh people belong to theDimasa,Koch Rajbongshi,Meiteis, Manipuri-Muslim (Pangals),Bishnupriya Manipuri, Cachari-speaking Muslim,tea tribes,Naga people (particularlyRongmei),Kuki, Khasi, Gorkha,Hmar, Das Pattni, Nath Jogi andNamasudra Bangali communities were left out of the final NRC list. The Committee further stated that, "All the Indigenous people of Barak Valley support the government stand of Implementing Clause 6 of theAssam Accord".[156] One of the early attempts to define the native people of Assam is found in the1951 Census of Assam. It's clearly stated that "An Indigenous person of Assam means a person belonging to the State of Assam and speaking theAssamese language or any tribal languages- (Dimasa,Rabha,Koch Rajbongshi,Bodo,Mishing,Karbi etc.) of Assam, or in the case of Cachar Valley, the language of the region (Bangla)".[157][158]
Mizoram used to be a district of Assam asLushai hills before being carved out as a separate union territory and later, becoming another separate state in 1987 byStates Reorganisation Act, 1956. Because of the history, the district's borders did not really matter for local Mizos for a long time. Mizoram shares a border with the districtsCachar,Hailakandi andKarimganj which comes under Barak valley region of Assam.
Over time, the two states started having different perceptions about where the demarcation should be. While Mizoram wants it to be along anInner Line Permit notified in 1875 to protect indigenous tribals from outside influence, which Mizos feel is part of their historical homeland, Barak valley region of Assam wants it to be demarcated according to district boundaries drawn up much later.[159][160] Conflicting territorial claims have persisted for long between Assam's Barak and Mizoram, which share a 164.6 km inter-state border. There were several clashes between the local people of the Mizoram and Barak regarding land disputes in the border areas on regular basis.[161][162] The root of the dispute is a 1,318 km2 ( 509 square miles) area of hills and forests that Mizoram claims as its own. This is on the basis of an 1875 British law. But Assam insists this area is part of theirs as its "constitutional boundary".[162] On 17 November 2022, Mizoram Home Minister have apologised for the clashes that have occurred in Barak-Mizoram border in which six police personnel and one civilian were killed in Lailapur.[163]
Barak valley has witnessed many major communal riots since 1960's to the most recent 2021 Hailakandi riots.[164][165][166]
Lists of riots involving communalism in Barak valley region:
Karimganj riot (1968)
In the 1968 Karimganj riots, a cow belonging to a Muslim wandered into a Hindu house. When a Hindu boy tried to chase the cow, some Muslims beat him up. Soon after that clashes erupted between the two communities. The ensuing riot claimed 82 lives.[164]
Hailakandi riot (1990)
In October 1990, a wounded cow was found near a common land, which led to clashes between Hindus and Muslims. Police records reveal that the Hindus of Hailakandi had demanded that parcel of land to construct a Kali temple. In fact,Sangh Parivar had earlier organised pujas to ritually purify bricks for shilayas at Ayodhya on the common land. The appearance of an injured cow hurt their sentiments and led to a riot resulting in many casualties.[164]
Silchar riot (2013)
In 2013, rumours of beef being found in a temple in Silchar sparked Hindu Muslim clashes in which at least 30 people were injured.[167]
Silchar riot (2015)
In 2015, there was tension yet again when the head of a slaughtered cow was found in a temple in Silchar. On the same year, allegations of "love jihad" – a term used by Hindu groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to marry women from other religions solely to convert them to Islam – sparked violent clashes in the city area.[167]
Silchar riot (2017)
On 7 June 2017, Clashes broke out between two communities in the Silchar city of Assam's Cachar district on Tuesday evening. The incident took place in the Janigunj area of Silchar. According to police 11 civilians and eight police officials were injured in large scale stone pelting. However, there were no casualties in the incident.[165]
Hailakandi riot (2019)
Local reports said that the tension started when motorbikes owned by Muslim devotees were vandalised while they were praying inside a mosque. The motorbike owners lodged a first information report and demanded that the police take action against the accused and said that they will offer prayers on the road if action was not taken. Mohneesh Mishra, Hailakandi's police chief, told Scroll.in that the clashes began when a group of Muslim men assembled on a public road in the town and said they will offer prayers on the street. "The Hindu community tried to stop them and that led to an argument and soon after that it turned into riot," said Mishra, while adding that heavy security had been deployed in the area. At least 14 people were injured out of which 3 were police Constables and also 1 was killed in a communal clash in Hailakandi district in Assam which have occurred on 10 July 2019.[168][166]
Hailakandi riot (2021)
Tension began at Hailakandi's Serispore Tea Garden area after an e-rickshaw driver who happened to be a Muslim and his passengers (who were all Hindus) entered into an argument. After this confrontation, people from two separate groups gathered at the site and started attacking each other. Soon after that, a curfew was imposed. As per as A.H Laskar a police of Hailakandi police station, both parties were throwing stones at each other.[169]
Tea is the important economic activity and Barak Valley have also its proportional share of tea garden in comparison to Brahmaputra valley to sustains its economy from time to time. There are plenty of oil and natural gas under the surface of Barak valley as well to run the economy as a separate state. Various oil refineries are also set up in various locations of Barak valley to meet the required economic demand.[170] Jute is an important crop grown in this region.[171] Theper capita income of Cachar is Rs. 19,551, for Hailakandi it stands at Rs. 19,055 and for Karimganj it is Rs. 20,093 respectively. Barak Region as a whole have a per capita income of Rs. 58,699 which is lower than in most of Assam.[172][173][174]
Barak valley region is the poorest part of Assam in terms of Gross Domestic Product and Human Development Index rank. More than half of the region's population lives in absolute poverty. According to a survey, 51% of the population of Hailakandi district, 42.4% of the population of Cachar district and 46% of the population of Karimganj district are multi-dimensionally poor and don't have proper access to safe drinking water, food, electricity, housing and shelter etc.[175]
There are around 104 forest Villages in Barak Valley.[176] Among the three districts in Barak Valley, Cachar have an area of 3,786 km2, out of which 2,222.34 km2 area is covered with forest, Hailakandi district have a total area of 1,327 km2, out of which 774.34 km2 is covered with forest, Karimganj district have a total area of 1,809 km2, out of which 851.43 km2 area is covered with forest.[177]
There are three districts in the Barak Valley.
The total area of the valley is 6,922 km2.[178][179][180]
Historically,North Cachar Hills was once a part of Undivided Barak Valley. If that district is included, then the total area of Barak region as a whole increases up to 11,812 km2, which is way bigger than the neighbouringTripura state which have a total area of 10,491 km2.[181][182]
TheAsian elephant has already vanished from most of the valley.[183][184][185] Barail is the only wildlife sanctuary of the Barak Valley region. It was initiated by noted naturalist Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury, who originally hailed from this region in the early 1980s.[186] This sanctuary was ultimately notified in 2004. There are thirteen reserve forests in the valley comprising six in Karimganj, five in Cachar, and two are in Hailakandi.[187][188] The Patharia hills reserve forest of Karimganj is the habitat of many mammals and was recommended to upgrade as 'Patharia hills wildlife sanctuary'.[189] The southern part was also recommended as 'Dhaleswari' wildlife sanctuary.[190]
Barak Valley has a temperature that varies 35° to 40 °C and also has a humid environment with rainfall varying from 100 to 200 cm. It is one of the hottest and humid region of entire North East.[191]
Bengali-dominated Barak Valley have 15 Assembly seats. As per as vote share, maximum of the people in the valley have supported BJP in2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election followed by INC and AIUDF. It has been found that 48.7% vote share have gone in the favour ofBJP, 27% toIndian National Congress and 21.9% toAIUDF in the last election. As per as seat share concerned,BJP have won 53.3% seats, 26.7%AIUDF and 20%Indian National Congress, respectively.[192] TheElection Commission of India on 20 June 2023 have reduced the number of seats share of Barak Valley inAssam Legislative Assembly from 15 to just 13 assembly constituencies.[193]
Barak Valley has twoLok Sabha seats.
Barak Valley has fifteenAssam Legislative Assembly seats.
| District | Tehsil | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cachar district | |||||||
| Hailakandi district | |||||||
| Karimganj district | |||||||
Along the linguistic continuum of eastern Indic languages, Sylheti occupies an ambiguous position, where it is considered a distinct language by many and also as a dialect of Bengali or Bangla by some others
24°48′N92°45′E / 24.800°N 92.750°E /24.800; 92.750
| History | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topics | |||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||
| Districts and divisions |
| ||||||||||
| Geography | |||||||||||
| Culture |
| ||||||||||
| Art | |||||||||||
| People | |||||||||||
