Crisis Phase (February 1, 1967-March 1, 1987): Bodo nationalists established the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) in the state of Assam to promote an independent Bodo state beginning in February 1967. The Bodo Security Force (BSF) was established by Ranjan Daimary on October 3, 1986.
Conflict Phase (March 2, 1987-May 31, 2005): Bodo militants, led by Upendra Nath Bramha, rebelled against the Assam state government beginning on March 2, 1987. Government police killed ten Bodos on March 27, 1989. Government police and Bodo militants clashed in the Nathun Bazaar village in Barpeta district on August 31, 1989, resulting in the deaths of three civilians and three militants. The parties agreed to a ceasefire on September 1, 1989, but the ceasefire agreement was immediately violated. The BSF was blamed for bombings in the town of Guwahati on November 21, 1991, resulting in the deaths of 40 individuals. Bodo militants exploded a bomb on a train in Barpeta district on October 13, 1992, resulting in the deaths of 13 individuals. Bodo militants exploded two bombs in Guwahati on November 21, 1992, resulting in the deaths of 40 individuals. Assam government and ABSU representatives signed a peace agreement in Guwahati on February 20, 1993, which provided for the establishment of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) and the Bodoland Executive Council (BEC). The BAC and BEC took control of the Bodo state on June 10, 1993. Bodo militants killed 23 civilians in the Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts on October 12, 1993. Bodo militants attacked four Muslim villages in the Kokrajhar district on May 28-29, 1994, resulting in the deaths of 21 individuals. Bodo militants killed some 30 individuals in Barpeta district on July 18-20, 1994. Bodo militants killed some 70 Bangladeshi migrants at a refugee camp in Barpeta District on July 24, 1994. The BSF was renamed the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) on November 25, 1994. The NDFB was blamed for a bombing in the state of Assam on November 1, 1995, resulting in the deaths of three government soldiers. Bodo militants ambushed a government police patrol in the state of Assam on November 23, 1995, resulting in the deaths of five government policemen and one civilian. Bodo militants killed five government soldiers in the state of Assam on February 22, 1996. Bodo and Santhal tribesmen clashed in Kokrajhar and Bongaigain districts in Ma7 1996, resulting in the deaths of some 80 individuals and displacement of some 200,000 individuals. The Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) headed by Prem Singh Brahma was established on June 18, 1996. Sumbla Basumatary, president of the ABSU, was killed by Bodo militants on June 30, 1996. Sumbla Basumatary, President of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), was killed by gunment in Kokrajhar District on July 30, 1996. Members of the NDFB killed nine members of the BLTF in Nalbari District on January 13, 1997. Government troops clashed with members of the NDFB in Darrang District on August 8, 1997, resulting in the deaths of seven members of the NDFB. Ethnic Bengalis killed seven Bodos in Nalbari District on August 17, 1997. Bodo militants killed four government soldiers in Bongaigaon District on December 14, 1997. Bodo militants killed twelve civilians in Nichlamari on December 30, 1997. Members of the BLTF and government troops clashed in the state of Assam on February 14, 1998, resulting in the deaths of three members of the BLTF. Bodos killed 14 members of the Santhal tribe in Kokrajhar District on May 9, 1998. Bodo militants killed seven government policemen in the state of Assam on July 18, 1998. Bodo militants killed seven members of the Santhal tribe in Kokrajhar District on July 25, 1998. Members of the NDFB were blamed for a bombing in Nalbari District on July 28, 1998, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals. Members of the Santhal tribe killed 11 Bodos in Kokrajhar District on July 29, 1998. Bodo militants killed 14 members of the Orang ethnic group and six members of the Santhal tribe in Kokrajhar district on September 15, 1998. Bodo militants killed 13 individuals in Darrang District on October 11, 1998. Members of the NDFB were blamed for the killings of seven members of the Santhal tribe near Guwahati on October 30, 1998. Members of the NDFB were blamed for the deaths of three government policemen at a police station in Kokrajhar District on January 1, 1999. Bodo militants killed seven government policemen near Rangiya on June 29, 1999. The BLTF unilaterally declared a ceasefire with the government on July 14, 1999. Bodo militants attacked a police station near Bijni on August 17, 1999, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. Bodo militants attacked a railway station near Dhekiajuli on August 24, 1999, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. The government and BLTF formally agreed to a ceasefire on March 29, 2000. Bodo militants bombed a train near the village of Sonmohuri in Kamrup district on July 31, 2000, resulting in the deaths of twelve government policemen. Bodo militants bombed a train near Tezpur on August 1, 2000, resulting in the deaths of twelve civilians. Bodo militants killed six individuals in Dhubri district on September 9, 2000. Bodo militants killed three government policemen near Tamulpur in Nalbari district on October 27, 2000. Bodo militants killed eight civilians on November 8, 2000. Bodo militants killed eight civilians in Kokrajhar district on November 24, 2000. Members of the BLTF clashed with members of the NDFB in Barpeta District on December 12, 2000, resulting in the deaths of eleven individuals. Members of the BLTF clashed with members of the NDFB in Nalbari District on December 21, 2000, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. The government banned the NDFB on December 21, 2000. Bodo militants killed a total of 29 government policemen and 176 civilians, and government policemen killed a total of 95 Bodo militants in 2000. Government troops killed eight Bodo militants in Assam state on September 5, 2001. Bodo militants killed 13 individuals near the village of Bijni in Bongaigaon district on January 15, 2002. Bodo militants killed 16 individuals in Udalgiri on January 21, 2002. Government troops killed four Bodo militants in Nalbari and Darrang districts on February 14, 2002. Bodo militants and Santhal tribesmen clashed in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts on April 5-6, 2002, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. Bodo militants killed 22 civilians in the village of Dadgiri on October 27, 2002. Bodo militants, members of the NDFB, clashed with government troops in the Darrang District on November 27, 2002, resulting in the deaths of four militants. Govinda Basumatary, general-secretary of the NDFB, was arrested by government police in the state of Assam on December 6, 2002. Government troops and Bodo militants clashed in the state of Assam on December 21, 2002, resulting in the deaths of three militants. Representatives of the government and BLFT agreed to a Memorandum of Settlement on February 10, 2003, which provided for the establishment of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Bodo militants killed four Bengali Muslims near the village of Bengtol on April 14, 2003. The BLFT completed its disarmament on December 6, 2003. A twelve-member interim executive council of the BTC was sworn into office on December 7, 2003. Bhutan military forces launched a military offensive against Bodo military bases near the border with India on December 16, 2003. On October 8, 2004, the NDFB declared a six-month unilateral ceasefire with the government beginning on October 15, 2004. On April 16, 2005, the NDFB agreed to extend the ceasefire with the government another six months. The first elections for the BTC were held on May 13, 2005. Representatives of the government and NDFB signed a ceasefire agreement in New Delhi on May 25, 2005. Some 2,500 individuals were killed during the conflict.
Post-Conflict Phase (June 1, 2005-present): The ceasefire between the government and NDFB formally went into effect on June 1, 2005. Bodo tribesmen and Bengali migrants clashed in the districts of Udalguri and Darrang on October 3-7, 2008, resulting in the deaths of some 50 individuals and displacement of some 85,000 individuals. NDFB militants attacked a passenger bus in Sonitpur District on November 8, 2010, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals. NDFB militants killed five individuals near the village of Belseri in Sonitpur District on November 8, 2010. Bodo tribesmen and Bengali migrants clashed in Kokrajhar District in the state of Assam from July 20 to August 7, 2012, resulting in the deaths of 73 individuals and the displacement of more than 170,000 individuals.
[Sources: Agence France-Presse (AFP), February 22, 1996, May 23, 1996, July 30, 1996, January 13, 1997, August 8, 1997, August 18, 1997, December 14, 1997, May 3, 1998, May 9, 1998, July 18, 1998, July 25, 1998, July 29, 1998, October 30, 1998, November 8, 2010; Amnesty International (AI) press release, January 4, 2001; Arnold et al., 1991, 136; Associated Press (AP), October 27, 2000, October 27, 2002; Brogan, 1992, 193; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), November 1, 1995, February 14, 1998, January 1, 1999, December 23, 2000, April 6, 2002, November 27, 2002, December 6, 2002, December 21, 2002, February 10, 2003, April 14, 2003, December 16, 2003, April 16, 2005, May 25, 2005, October 5, 2008, October 7, 2008, July 23, 2012, July 25, 2012, July 27, 2012, August 7, 2012; Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), September 1, 1989; George, 1994, 878-892; Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), September 1, 1994; Frontline (India), February 2-15, 2002; Keesing’s Record of World Events, October 1992, November 1992, February 1993, October 1993, May 1994, July 1994; Reuters, November 23, 1995, December 31, 1997, June 29, 1999, August 17, 1999, August 24, 1999, September 9, 2000, October 27, 2000, November 25, 2000, September 5, 2001, January 22, 2002, February 14, 2002, July 24, 2012, July 25, 2012.]