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Assam : Karbi Anglong violence, Centre rejects security plea |
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The Centre has decided to set aside Assam Governor Lt Gen. (Retd.) Ajai Singh’s proposal to put the paramilitary forces stationed in Karbi Anglong under the unified command.
Besides indicting a cabinet minister in Assam for “inciting” tension in Karbi Anglong, Gen. Singh, in his report, to the Centre last month, had made a strong case for putting Karbi Anglong under the Army in view of the violence and deteriorating law and order situation. Besides the Army, CRPF, BSF and Assam police are present in clearly demarcated pockets of Karbi Anglong.
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“Disarm” clause in truce pacts with militants
Violation of ceasefire agreements by militants being more the norm than an exception in the Northeast, the Defence Ministry has suggested that all armed groups seeking a truce be disarmed before signing on the dotted line.
Highly-placed sources in Guwahati said the suggestion was given to the Union Home Ministry when it sought the Army’s views on the efficacy of the truce-monitoring mechanism in the region.
Militant groups that have ceasefire agreements with the government have often been accused of intimidation, extortion and killings. The Army claims that both the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang groups of the NSCN have been consistently violating their ceasefire pacts with Delhi. In Assam, the United People’s Democratic Solidarity and the Dima Halam Daoga, both of which are in line for a political dialogue with Delhi, stand accused of being directly involved in the recent Karbi Anglong carnage.
The Defence Ministry is understood to have told the Home Ministry that if the ground rules for ceasefire cannot be changed or a clause incorporated to disarm militants, it should at least insist on it while entering into any such pact with an armed group.
The suggestion is expected to have a bearing on the progress of the nascent peace process between the banned ULFA and Delhi.
The first person to advocate disarming militant groups bound by ceasefire agreements with Delhi was the Governor of Assam. Lt Gen. (retd) Ajai Singh, a veteran of counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast, aired his views during a visit to strife-torn Karbi Anglong district. Joint Secretary (North-east) in the Home Ministry, Rajiv Agarwal, seemed to go along with the Governor’s suggestion.
A senior Army official said it was appropriate that the issue had been raised at a crucial period for the region. “We have been maintaining that the present system of allowing militants to retain arms is faulty and needs to be changed. The Home Ministry is now realising this.”
In a bid to buttress its suggestion to the Home Ministry, the Army not only cited specific instances of ceasefire violation in Karbi Anglong, but also in Nagaland. A truce in Nagaland took effect eight years ago.
The Army said militant groups did not appear to be keen to adhere to the rules agreed to before signing ceasefire agreements with the government. “Under the circumstances, it will be a wise move if the government insists on militants laying down arms before agreeing to a ceasefire,” it said.
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