Name of leader Mihir Barman [1]
Nom de Guerre Jewel Garlosa
Organization Dima Halim Daoga-Black Widow (DHD-BW)
Conflict country India
Gender Male
Year of birth Roughly 1968 (based on when he graduated from high school)
Place of birth Ujangram (Barkhala), Cachar District, southern Assam, India[2]
Year of death N/A
Deceased
No; there is no evidence he has died.
Birth order
He was the second of three sons.[3]
Age at start of rebel leadership
In 1995; he formed DHD and became its leader, so was around age 27.[4]
Leader entry method
He founded the organization.[5]
Powersharing
No; there is no evidence of powersharing. [6]
Education (also name universities attended, if any); note any relevant experiences while a student
“In 1986, when he was just out of St. Agnes Convent at Haflong, the headquarters of North Cachar Hills district, Mihir Barman was known as the young boy who played the guitar well enough to become a rock star.”[7] (St. Agnes Convent is a high school. He was a college dropout).[8], [9]
Ever married? If yes, age of first marriage
Yes; “The cruelty of Garlosa was not confined to his opponents alone. His two former wives were also exposed to atrocities by the militant leader. He had abandoned his first wife Champa Nunisa and killed his second wife Bontha Thaosen on suspicion that she had conducted an extra marital relationship with an armed force personnel. Garlosa's third wife is a Nepali woman presently living in Kathmandu.”[10]
Children
There is no evidence he had children.
Religious identification
He is likely Hindu.[11]
Elite family background
“Garlosa, hails from a lower middle class family in Haflong, the headquarters in NC Hills.”[12]
Political affiliations and intellectual circles; note any relevant social connections made
Yes; after quitting college he joined the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), a regional political party that holds considerable sway in the two hill districts of Assam.[13]
Physical and mental health
No; there is no evidence of poor physical or mental health.
Pre-militant leader occupation
He was an activist.[14]
Experience in a state military, and role; any relevant social ties
No; there is no evidence of experience in a state military.
Experience in a nonstate military, and role; any relevant social ties
Yes, “it was around 1993 that an outfit called Dimasa National Security Force (DNSF) was formed — its goal being the creation of a separate 'Dimaraji' state. Jewel shared the same ideology and joined the DNSF, quickly rising in its ranks. While Jewel Gorlosa was appointed 'commander-in-chief' of the armed wing of DNSF, the chairman of DNSF surrendered and dissolved the outfit in 1995.”[15]
Combat experience prior to assuming resistance organization leadership?
No; there is no evidence of combat experience.
Held government position prior to assuming leadership?
No; there is no evidence he held a government position.
Lived in exile?
Yes; after being arrested by the government of Bangalore, “police disclosed that Garlosa had been out of the state for many months. It also revealed that Jewel was operating from Kathmandu and that he held a Nepali passport as well. Garlosa had come to Bangalore for another fake passport.”[16]
Study abroad?
No; there is no evidence he studied abroad.
Did the leader receive military training abroad?
No; there is no evidence of military training abroad.
Did the leader have extensive work experience abroad?
No; there is no evidence he had extensive work experience abroad.
Serve time in prison? Social connections during that time?
Yes; he was captured by the government in Bangalore in 2009.[17]
Was there an assassination attempt on the leader by the state?
No; there is no evidence of an assassination attempt by the state.
Cause of Death?
N/A
Primary language, and other languages spoken as adult
He spoke Dimasa as his primary language, as well as also Hindi. [18]
[1] “Jewel Garlosa has hardly any takers in his ancestral village,” The Times Of India, June 9, 2009, Accessed May 7, 2018, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Jewel-Garlosa-has-hardly-any-takers-in-his-ancestral-village/articleshow/4633119.cms.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “From guitars to guns, how Mihir Barman became Jewel Gorlosa,” The Indian Express, Accessed September 16, 2018, http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/from-guitars-to-guns-how-mihir-barman-became-jewel-gorlosa/472190/.
[4] Sagarika Dutt and Alok Bansal, South Asian Security: 21st Century Discourses (New York: Routledge, 2012), 182.
[5] Braja Kumāra, Problems of Ethnicity in the North-East India (New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2007), 49.
[6] Ibid.
[7] See f.n.3
[8] Nava Thakuria, “Northeast India: Trailing a Notorious Rebel,” The Seoul Times, Accessed September 11, 2018, http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=8485
[9] Nava Thakuria, “Tamin a Rebel Leader in Assam,” Modern Ghana, June 15, 2009, Accessed September 11, 2018, https://www.modernghana.com/news/222033/taming-a-rebel-leader-in-assam.html
[10] “Jewel Garlosa captured in Bangalore,” merinews, June 16, 2009, Accessed September 16, 2018, http://www.merinews.com/article/jewel-garlosa-captured-in-bangalore/15772903.shtml.
[11] “SOUTH ASIA:: INDIA,” The World Factbook, Accessed January 2, 2018, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html.
[12] See f.n.10
[13] See f.n.3
[14] See f.n.3
[15] Ibid.
[16] See f.n.10
[17] Namrata Goswami, Indian National Security and Counter-Insurgency: The Use of Force Vs Non-violent Response (New York: Routledge, 2015), 177.
[18] “Languages," Central Intelligence Agency, Accessed July 4, 2020, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/402.html
