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North East : PM warns of full-fledged militancy |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has warned of a “full-fledged” militancy in the North East if the states were not sensitive to the ground situation. Addressing a conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security in New Delhi on Sept. 5, he particularly cautioned states like Manipur and Nagaland, which, he said, appeared “specially vulnerable.”
Expressing concern over the increasing activities of terrorist outfits - who were inspired and directed by external forces - in the country, the Prime Minister referred to the warning by intelligence agencies that the terrorists may intensify violence and carry out more attacks on vital installations and Army camps.
“These are serious matters and we must find ways and means to deal with these de-centralised micro-terrorist outfits. This will necessitate greater alertness on the part of the states and local intelligence agencies, as also the police who have a locational advantage. Unless the beat constable is brought into the vortex of our counter-terrorist strategy, our capacity to pre-empt future attacks would be severely limited,” he said.
The role of the public would be vital in the battle against terrorism, he added.
“We confront a wide array of complex internal security problems and threats. Each of these needs to be dealt with in different ways. This increasingly calls for closer co-operation between the Centre and the states, since the problems are no longer confined to a single state. Integrated functioning in a federal set-up such as ours, where law and order is a state subject, is not easy, but we must find ways and means to deal with this situation and rethink some of our past practices,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi demanded a special package for rehabilitating surrendered militants. He also made a case for waiving of expenses incurred by the state on account of paramilitary and central forces as well as internal security.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio referred to the vulnerability of his state and said : “There is little scope for personal predilections that override national considerations and requirements.”
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said the Centre should ask Bangladesh to stop helping militants.
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Jihadis planning to attack Gogoi
Security arrangements for Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi were upgraded on Sept. 8 after intelligence reports suggested that “jihadi elements” were planning to attack him for his views on fundamentalist groups.
Gogoi returned to Guwahati on Sept. 8 from New Delhi after attending the Chief Ministers’ conclave on internal security. Sources said intelligence agencies revealed the jihadi threat to Gogoi at a meeting of the Unified Command for counter-insurgency operations a day before. The three-tier structure comprises the Army, police and paramilitary forces.
Gogoi has Z-plus cover and his security retinue is entirely made up of police personnel. The focus of the “special security cover” designed to counter the perceived threat from fundamentalist groups will be on “access control”, a senior official said.
Going by the steps being planned for the Chief Minister’s security, meeting him will no longer be easy. A senior official said the new strategy was more about building an invisible firewall around him than about adding security personnel to his security entourage. Visitors could be asked to leave behind cameras and even mobile phones before meeting Gogoi.
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