If records of the home ministry are any indicator, more than 18,000 militants have laid down arms since 2001 in Assam, but militancy remains a big issue.
Disclosing that more than `400 crores has been spent alone on paying incentives to these surrendered militants since 2001, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that the immediate impact of the surrender scheme has been far from the intent.
If majority of the militant outfits have presented inflated figure of their actual cadre strength while laying down arms, the scheme, which required all surrendered terrorists to be held in “rehabilitation camps” for a fixed period, but it was also alleged to have been breached.
Security sources also claimed that surrender has not reduced availability of illegal arms as most of the armed groups are holding back weapons by presenting old weapons.
Informing that there are strict guidelines for not accepting the surrender without weapon, security sources said that recently more than 1,900 militant belonging to nine rebel groups laid down arms in Guwahati but only 200 weapons were deposited. Majority of the weapons displayed at surrender ceremony were old and no longer in use now.
Pointing out that majority of rebels, who laid down arms since 2001, did not have any police cases against them, though they surrendered as the member of the outlawed organisation, security sources said that lucrative incentives and stipend proposed in the surrender policy was encouraging many unemployed youths to join the outfit.
However, majority of such instances were noticed at the time of surrender.
In fact there were a number of instances of surrendered militants involved in extortion, land grabbing and other unlawful activities but incentive was never discontinued.
Moreover, the proposed incentives for surrendered militant were delivered in cash to the militant leaders, who were never compelled to present their cadres physically for actual head counts. Security sources said that there were reports of genuine beneficiaries not getting the incentives.
The practice of paying the incentives in cash to militant leaders was mired into controversies also as many trained militant cadres, now, wish to surrender on pre-condition of paying incentives directly to them instead of their leaders.