MANGALDAI, Nov 28 - According to an official record of All Assam Students� Union (AASU) and All Darrang District Students� Union (AADSU), Mukunda Boro, a youth belonging to the Bodo community from village Tezialpara under Kalaigaon Police Station in Darrang district (now in Udalguri district) attained martyrdom on November 27, 1979 in a tragic road accident while he was coming to join a mass rally at Gandhi Maidan here at Mangaldai, organised by the ADDSU and presided over by eminent freedom fighter and president of Mangaldai Zila Gana Sangram Parishad Pani Ram Das. In that rally, the leaders of the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) declared him to be the first martyr of Assam Movement.
On December 10, 1979, Swahid Khargeswar Talukdar of Bhabanipur in Barpeta district attained martyrdom while taking part in the road blockade to prevent Abida Begum, wife of former President of India Fakharuddin Ahmed, from submission of her nomination paper for the Lok Sabha election from Barpeta Parliamentary Constituency. And in that blockade, KPS Gill had allegedly played the key role in the killing of Swahid Khargeswar Talukdar.
But today, nobody including AASU leaders are aware that Swahid Mukunda Boro was the first recognised martyr of the Assam Movement. The media is also not going through the records or the history.
Talking to mediapersons, a number of active workers of Assam Movement of Darrang district have expressed strong resentment over the indifferent attitude towards the status of the first martyr. They even opined that denying of the first martyr status to Swahid Mukunda Boro is an insult to the Bodo community, who initially took part in the Assam Agitation.
Significantly, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) which was formed on the basis of the supreme sacrifice of the 855 swahids came to power in the State twice but the party too has forgotten the first Swahid Mukunda Boro. The AGP�s conference that was organised in Guwahati on November 27 failed even to mention a single word on this swahid or to light a earthen lamp in his memory on the 37th anniversary of his martyrdom, as all the office bearers of AGP were busy with their political activities.
However, the office bearers of Kalaigaon Anchalik Students� Union on Sunday joined the Swahid Divas celebration at the residence of Kiron Boro, the only living sister of Swahid Mukunda Boro at village Tezialpara near Kalaigaon.
On the 37th death anniversary of Swahid Mukunda Boro, a section of active workers of the Assam Movement wonders about the role of the present AASU leadership. Will the leadership clarify its stand on the status of the �first� martyr of Assam Movement and come forward to accord him his due recognition?
