SUMMARY
The north-eastern region of India, surrounded by Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar (Burma), is a compound of different ethnicities (Dimasa, Hmar, Karbi, Zeme, etc.) and a mosaic of religious affiliations. After the independence from the British Empire in 1947, ethnic sentiments rose amongst the tribes in the north-east. Regions such as Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura have become arenas of conflicts due to similar demands regarding the claims of land, enhanced by ethnic tensions. The British colonialism was perceived as an encroachment as taxes and administrative fees were imposed on the various tribes. For a long time, language has been the paramount mean of distinction between the ethnicities in the region. When the Assamese became the official and compulsory language in north-east India, ethnic fractionalization threatened the stability of the area. What followed subsequently was the emergence of armed resistance among various ethnic groups after the independence.
The Dimasa people are a tribal group residing in North-East India, mainly in the North Kachar Hills, the Karbi Anglong and the Kachar districts of the state of Assam. The group has lived for decades in these areas, alongside the different ethnicities. 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 Brahmaputra that flows through Assam.
DHD-BW (Dima Halim Daogha-Black Widow) is an outfit deriving from a split within the Dimasa rebel group DHD (Dima Halim Daogha) in June 2004. DHD-BW claims to fight for the safety of the Dimasa people and a separate homeland within the constitution of India. The area of operation is mainly the Northern Cachar Hills (NC Hills) in Assam where the one-sided violence has occurred. The main reason behind the indiscriminate violence against civilians in the NC Hills is the resentment towards the governmental decision to construct a railway, connecting the mountainous NC Hills with the lowlands. As a response to the governments neglecting attitude towards DHD-BW's demand for abolishing a railway project, construction workers have been killed in order to prevent the construction.
DHD-BW first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2008, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in May of that year, when attacks against railway workers resulted in at least 25 deaths.
