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North East : New strategy to combat militancy |
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A new strategy jointly involving the Army and the civil administration is being framed to combat lingering insurgencies in India’s north-east.
A five-day closed-door workshop organised by the National Security Council Secretariat was held in Agartala (Tripura) last week to frame such a policy. It was the first meeting of its kind and drew Army, paramilitary and civil officials from eight states.
“Technological modernization and training in tackling new dimensions to national security, including economic security, cyber security, energy security and container security, must get their due attention,” Deputy National Security Advisor V.K. Nambiar told the participants.
He said joint efforts and coordinated functioning were keys to meeting the challenges to national security.
After inaugurating the workshop Monday (Feb.20), Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said it would provide a forum to highlight important issues that would impinge on not only the security of the region but also external security threats.
Sarkar said that in Tripura while the police and security forces had been given a free hand to combat insurgency, a number of initiatives had been taken for the development of infrastructure in remote and tribal areas.
He said diplomatic and other means could be explored to cut off the supply line and support base of the extremists from across Bangladesh.
The north-eastern states share a 4,600-km border with China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Several separatist and insurgent groups are active in the northeast, and the resultant violence has claimed thousands of lives.
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