SUMMARY
The Dimasa people are a tribal group residing in Indias North-East, mainly in the North Kachar Hills, the Karbi Anglong and the Kachar districs of the state of Assam. The group has lived for decades in these areas, alongside a myriad of other tribal groups such as the Hmar, Karbi, Ahom and Kuki groups. In contrast to many other tribal groups in the area the Dimasa are Hindus, and mix their Hindu beliefs with traditional religion. The name Dimasa means sons of the great river in the Dimasa language, the great river being the Brahmaptura that flows through Assam.
Historically the territory which became the state of Assam in the Indian union was, before British colonial rule, ruled by the Ahom people who conquered it in the early thirteenth century. Under British colonial rule Bengali-speakers were favoured, and due to waves of Bengali immigration and the shifting of Assams borders the Bengalis became the majority population in Assam, sparking resentment among a number of the states ethnic minorities (see for instance the conflicts over Assam and Bodoland). Moves after Indias independence by the Assamese elite, comprised mainly of Ahoms, to re-establish their dominance did little to assuage the fears of the tribal groups, spurring further feelings of being culturally and linguistically overrun. Dimasa politicians and activists (as well as protagonists of other ethnic minorities) battled politically against the linguistic, cultural and economic dominance of the Assamese until the struggle also turned violent in the 1980s. The Dimasa have, however, by no means been powerless since independence and have wielded significant control over tribal councils.
The first group advocating armed struggle, DNSF (Dimasa National Security Force), emerged in the 1980s. It was succeeded by DHD (Dima Halam Daogah) in the mid-1990s. However, none of these groups reached the level of activity; it was only with DHD - BW (Dima Halam Daogah - Black Widow), a faction of the DHD, that the violence reached the level of an armed conflict. The incompatibility stems from the DHD outfits claim to an ethnic homeland in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, comprised of areas with both significant and sporadic Dimasa populations. More specifically, the claim encompasses the areas of North Kachar Hills, Karbi Anglong, Kachar Hills (all in Assam) and the Dimapur district (in the state of Nagaland). The group claims that a separate state for the Dimasa is the only way to safeguard the groups identity from assimilation into the majority Assamese culture. Although the original DHD staked its claim to Dimaraji already in the 1990s DHD - BW first stated this goal at its formation at the latest in June 2004
DHD was founded by Jewel Garlossa, the DNSFs former Commander-in-Chief, who refused to lay down his arms when the group surrendered to the government in 1994-5. DHD fractionalized in March 2003 (or June 2004, statements differ) over the issue of signing a ceasefire with the government. Garlossas faction went on to become DHD-Black Widow, sometimes also referred to as the DHD - G, or the DHD - J. The original DHD is, since then, sometimes referred to as DHD - N (DHD - Nunisa faction), after its leader Pranab Nunisa and has entered into talks with the government. DHD - BW has, however, rejected holding any talks. The DHD-Black Widow group is known to have had links to NSCN - IM (National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak Muivah faction), with the latter in the past having trained DHD - BW as well as having channeled weapons to it. In return, the NSCN - IM appears to have received funding from DHD - BW.
DHD - BW is a relatively small group, comprising only a few hundred militants. It controls a few smaller areas of land in the jungles of Assam and combines its fight against the government of India with extortion, fighting with other tribal groups and outfits, attacks on civilians, and the targeting of commercial and government enterprises. The DHD (both the original group and the Black Widow faction) have also engaged in attacks on civilians belonging to other ethnic groups, presumably in order to facilitate the creation of its ethnically homogenous homeland.
DHD - BW has been active in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence
