Pillai tries to get the Army to agree
Union home secretary G.K. Pillai flew to Kolkata on Friday to resolve the tricky situation arising out of differences between the home ministry and the Army over handling of clashes between rival factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim in the border districts of Tirap and Changlang in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
Senior government sources said the Army has expressed its reluctance to carry out operations to disarm the clashing factions of the NSCN while the MHA is keen to seek its help to restore law and order in the area.
The sources said Mr Pillai is holding a closed-door meeting the Eastern Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh, to find a way out to seek the Army’s help without declaring the areas as “disturbed” under the Disturbed Areas Act. The Army has argued that it cannot be involved since the two districts do not fall under that law, the sources said.
The home secretary will also be seeking stepping up of vigil by the Assam Rifles on the India-Burma border in the wake of reports of arms being supplied to insurgent groups from China. The government wants to ensure that there is comprehensive border patrolling by the Assam Rifles. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe has pointed out that the alleged chief arms procurer for the insurgent group NSCN (I-M), Anthony Shimray, had been conspiring with arms dealers in China and Thailand to procure large quantities of arms and ammunition to carry out “terrorist activities” in India.
Home ministry officials, however, stressed that Mr Pillai is conducting a general review of the security scenario in the eastern region.
Government sources, meanwhile, pointed out that the Army holds the view that the NSCN clashes, resulting in more than 30 deaths, should be largely treated as a law and order problem. The home ministry, however, is concerned about the safety of ordinary citizens in the two districts. An official said Mr Pillai is expected to work out a “solution” to the problem to restore peace in the area. An option under which the state government may requisition the Army “to aid the civil authorities” in the two districts is being looked at, the official said.
Over 35 cadres of the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of the NSCN were killed on the night of February 24-25 on the Tirap-Burma border, intelligence reports said. This was the largest clash in the ongoing conflict between the two groups since December last year. The two factions are already observing a ceasefire agreement with the government where they are supposed to keep their cadres in designated camps and deposit their arms.
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