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Assam : Govt. guilty of denying basic human rights to the poor

	November 06, 2006

The Congress-led government in Assam suffered a severe set back last week when the country’s apex court found it guilty of denying basic rights to the poorest of the poor, exposing in the process the hollowness of the ruling Congress’s Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty) slogan.



In a letter to Chief Secretary S. Kabilan, the Supreme Court’s Special Commissioner Harsh Mander and Commissioner N.C. Saxena have pointed out Assam Government’s failure to address the issues of food security, Right to Food and Right to Work.



The letter dated October 20 states that Assam has been ignoring directives from the Supreme Court on implementing schemes for the poor.



“Based on our Sixth Report submitted to the Supreme Court in December 2005, following issues have emerged with regard to the state of Assam, which demands immediate intervention by the state government. Many of the Supreme Court orders are not complied with in the state, which essentially means denial of their basic rights to the poorest,” the letter says.



The missive from the Supreme Court mentions lacunae in the implementation of centrally-sponsored programmes like the Integrated Child Development Services, the midday meal scheme, Sampoorn Grameen Rozgar Yojana, National Social Assistance Programme and Annapurna, national maternity benefit schemes and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.





Moves to restart talks with ULFA



There are reports that peace talks between the Centre and Assam’s major militant outfit, ULFA, may start again. The negotiation process collapsed last month after both sides failed to trust each other.



The ULFA-constituted People’s Consultative Group (PCG) has decided to go back to its original role - that of a mediator - in the wake of reports about Delhi initiating Track II diplomacy to resuscitate the stalled peace process with the militant group.



The decision is being seen as a U-turn from the PCG’s stand of not dealing with the Centre, which it accused of backtracking from its promises during three rounds of talks since October last year.



The peace process hit a roadblock after the third round of talks between the PCG and the Centre in June. While ULFA insisted on the release of five of its jailed leaders before talks, Delhi said they would be set free only if the outfit sent a communique to confirm its participation in a dialogue for peace.



While efforts to revive the peace process continue, security forces are worried over reports of ULFA finding its way back into Bhutan.



According to State Director General of Police, D.N. Dutt, the militant group has been using certain stretches of the Humalayan Kingdom for shelter.



He was speaking at a conference in Guwahati which deliberated on terrorism in the North East with the focus on the role of foreign agencies and the problem of cross-border insurgency with special reference to Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar.



The Bhutanese Embassy, however, denied the presence of ULFA or any other militant group in the Himalayan kingdom. “I would like to state for the record that since the removal of all 13 camps of the ULFA from Bhutan during the military operations conducted by the royal Bhutan army in 2003, there has been no presence of the ULFA or any other group inside Bhutan,” Jigme Tenzin, third secretary in the press division of the embassy, said.





Terror network widens



Police chiefs of the north-eastern states have warned that the security establishment must shift focus from Jammu and Kashmir to this part of the country if it is to contain jihadi elements. Participating in a two-day conference in Guwhati (Nov. 1-2), they were unanimous in their assessment that Jihadi terrorism and export of fundamentalism is a matter of grave concern for them.



Senior officials of the Union Home Ministry, Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau, paramilitary forces and West Bengal police attended the conference.



Inaugurating the conclave, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the threat from jihadi elements and human trafficking were the two most serious problems that the police needed to address. He also stressed the need for intelligence-sharing and co-ordinated operations by the police and other security agencies.



Chief Secretary S. Kabilan said the Centre had consistently underplayed the fact that the Northeast is vulnerable to infiltration by extremists from across the international borders.



The Bangladeshi jihadi group responsible for the serial blasts in that country in August last year has made inroads into the Northeast, Assam police chief D.N. Dutt revealed.



Dutt said the Jamatul Mujahideen, one of two radical groups banned by Bangla-desh last year, was co-ordinating the activities of all jihadi groups operating in the region with the help of foreign agencies.



Stressing the need for an effective mechanism to share intelligence “in real time”, the conference decided to recommend the constitution of a national-level standing committee on terrorism, militancy and insurgency. The suggestion will be fleshed out during a meeting of directors-general and inspectors-general of police from across the country later this month.



Intelligence reports about jihadis sneaking in from Bangladesh were confirmed when customs personnel in West Bengal arrested Badrul Alam, a suspected Pakistani national with a Bangladesh passport, while he was trying to cross the international border in Malda in August. Assam police apprehended another militant, Habibul Rahman, in Rangia.



Apart from pushing mercenaries into the region, the Jamatul Mujahideen has reportedly been recruiting youth in both Lower and Upper Assam.





Top militant shot dead



ULFA’s crack combat wing lost another of its top guns when security forces shot dead Charan Majhi, who used to oversee most operations of the outfit’s 28th battalion in Upper Assam.



Two others were killed in the encounter at Kordoiguri Hunhungia village, under Moran police station. One of them was identified as Anup Dihingia, another hardcore militant. The third militant could not be immediately identified.



The police busted a temporary camp on a large paddy field where the encounter occurred.



Dibrugarh superintendent of police Vijay Kumar Ramishetti said the operation was launched after specific information was received about 10 ULFA members hiding in the village.



Police are continuing the search for the other members of the group.





Ulfa arms & conduits in police net



An “overground” ULFA activist having business links with a Congress leader from Upper Assam and two of his associates have been arrested with a cache of arms and ammunition meant for the banned militant group’s dreaded combat wing, the 28th battalion.



Prabal Chetia, who joined ULFA in 1997 and underwent arms training in Kachin province of Myanmar before returning home because of “family commitments”, was arrested at Jorabat.



Chetia had kept his links with Ulfa well concealed. He was known in Makum as a small tea grower and also for his proximity to the Congress leader.



Senior superintendent of police (city) Nitul Gogoi said his arrest and the arms haul were just the tip of the iceberg. “We have information that Ulfa has been bringing in arms and ammunition through Meghalaya. Acting on these leads, we intercepted a Bolero (AS-23E/1560) at Jorabat and seized the consignment,” he said.



City police suspect the consignment was brought in from Bangladesh through Cherrapunji.





Assam Rifles courts trouble again



Forced to shift base from Kangla Fort in Imphal nearly two years ago, the Assam Rifles seems to be an unwelcome guest in Assam, too.



Residents of two villages on the outskirts of the capital city are seething over the government’s decision to allot a large tract of prime agricultural land to the paramilitary force for a battalion headquarters. Apart from anxiety over losing land, the residents fear that an Assam Rifles battalion in the neighbourhood will leave them at the mercy of overbearing soldiers.



The government recently notified the process of acquisition of 445 bighas of land at Matikutuni and Pachanipara villages under Palasbari revenue circle of Kamrup (metropolitan) district, about 45 km from the city. The administration stated in notices issued to the villagers that the land would be acquired for “public use”.



Of the 445 bighas of land selected by the government, 69 are in Matikutuni. Nearly 239 families will be affected if Dispur goes ahead with its plan.



However, an Assam Rifles spokesman said the paramilitary force had only asked for land and not specified any location. “It is the government’s prerogative to decide the location. We are not concerned (about where land is being acquired) in any way,” he said.