ABSTRACT
One of the important factors plaguing development is the lack of peace in present-day Assam, attributed to population pressure with huge number of refugees/migrants settling down there since independence. Assam has not been able to conduct its economic activities in a peaceful environment for many decades due to such problems. In fact, the common existence with Bengal Province had seen free movements of the different populations in its lands, especially the southern plains people seeking farm/grazing land in the fertile hills up north and later in the British period for lucrative employment in the tea plantations. The question arises as to how cross-border migration becomes a source of conflicts. Thus, it is hypothesised that cross-border migration is causal for underdevelopment, with its resultant competition for land resources leading to conflicts between the non-native settlers and the native populations. The non-native settlers are expected to be backward, wherever they are; however, they could be also prosperous at the expense of the natives, which could build up tensions and aggravate into conflicts. It is thus important to study the determinant factors from the perspective of resource-based conflicts in the conflict zones by assessing the present situation relating to two social groups comprising a native population and the non-native population within the state. This chapter had a twofold rationale: first, to assess whether there is a link between the non-native settlers and the natives in terms of the difference in land resource pattern; and second, to look at the contributing factors that determine which non-native settlers are more likely to influence the risk of violent conflicts.
