According to Union Home ministry figures, there were 1,489 violent incidents in the NE in 2007 compared to about 1,000 in J&K.

Disturbing figures. Notwithstanding the popular cry for peace terrorist attacks are claiming more lives in the North-East than the permanent trouble-spot of the country Jammu and Kashmir. The figures were made available by the Union Home Ministry in a status paper.

According to latest Union Home ministry figures, there were 1,489 incidents of violent incidents in the North-East in 2007 compared to about 1,000 in Jammu and Kashmir. Civilian casualties in the region during the same period stood at 498 as against 158 civilian in Jammu and Kashmir.’

Union Home Secretary admitted that situation in the North-east was directly connected with internal security and national security. Thus he argued that there is no question of leaving it to the State Government. There are about 30-odd militant groups active in the northeast with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy.

However, the figures made Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi fuming. In a sharp reaction, Mr. Gogoi said that Assam and Jammu & Kashmir cannot be compared on the insurgency front as the former has more insurgent groups than the latter. The Chief Minister said: “We want Jammu & Kashmir-type security arrangement in Asom as the State shares a long stretch of international border, and has a large number of militant groups. I admit that there were killings of civilians during anti-insurgency operations in the State, but I can dare say that I did institute an inquiry commission for every civilian killed. I want to give a clear message to the people of the State that if they have any specific complaints against any officials intentionally killing civilians, I will surely put the officials behind the bars.”

At the same time, the Chief Minister once again appealed to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to come forward for peace talks. “I hope that the ULFA will realize the futility of armed struggle and come forward for negotiations with the Government. I, however, want to make it precisely clear that there won’t be any talks on sovereignty.”

But it seems that the appeal has no effect on ULFA. The insurgent group has accused the Centre of “being interested only in a military solution” to the problem.

The proscribed insurgent group stated: “The Government of India doesn’t seem to be keen to hold talks with the ULFA to resolve the conflict. India is rather applying all means aimed at a military solution to the demand for restoration of a sovereign Assam.”

The ULFA, which is interested only in talks that focus on its demand for sovereignty, alleged, “As things stand now, peace talks are nowhere in the offing. The Government of India is certainly sitting pretty with its assessment that the ULFA has suffered serious reverses at the hands of the Indian forces in recent months and that the question of peace talks will arise once the ULFA is cornered. This approach of India will certainly dim the hopes of resuming the peace process.”

The outfit further said its team of negotiators, the People’s Consultative Group (PCG), was set up in 2005, as it was keen on bringing about a peaceful political settlement to the conflict. The PCG held three rounds of talks with the Centre. “We have to trust the PCG because of its emphasis on Assam’s national interest. But on the contrary, the Indian authorities are opting for a military solution of the problem,” it said. The ULFA alleged that commanders of the Army had been trying to belittle the PCG initiative saying that peace talks were still miles away.

Meanwhile, Minister of State, Home Affairs V. Radhika Devi Selvi informed that insurgency-hit Assam has been declared as a disturbed area to check militancy.

She told Parliament that concerted and sustained counterinsurgency operations in Assam have been increased to flush out insurgent groups active in the state, including the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam.

She said the entire state has been declared a disturbed area under federal legislation.

The minister said in a written statement that additional central paramilitary forces have been provided to the state government to assist the state police in counterinsurgency offensives.

“Deployment of security forces and army formations for conduct of counterinsurgency operations in the state has been done on the operational requirements of establishing a grid in various sectors,” she said.

On the other hand, Arunachal Pradesh is soon expected to have a Unified Command structure to combat separatists from neighbouring Assam and Nagaland who are using the mountainous region as a base to carry out their hit-and-run guerrilla strikes.

According to top government sources, the decision to have a Unified Command comes in the wake of intelligence inputs of militant groups like the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) setting up well-entrenched bases in Arunachal’s Tirap, Changlang, and Lohit districts.

“The Unified Command that is likely to be initiated would be similar to the one currently operational in Assam,” a senior government official said requesting anonymity. While the overall head of the Unified Command would be Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, general officer commanding of the army’s Four Corps based in Assam’s northern town of Tezpur      Lt. Gen. B.S. Jaswal would command the operations.

Former army chief and presently Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen. (Retd.) J.J. Singh is believed to have been providing vital inputs in mapping out strategies and modalities for the Unified Command.

In recent months, the ULFA, a rebel group fighting for an independent Assamese homeland, have relocated several of their bases to the dense jungles in Arunachal Pradesh following mounting security offensive. “The ULFA is not only setting up bases in the state but also using Arunachal Pradesh as a transit to Myanmar. We cannot allow our state to be used by militants from other states for anti-national activities,” says one official.

Earlier in the past, a number of ULFA militants were killed in encounters with the army in the State. This prompted the security agencies to conduct combing operations from time to time in the State. The ULFA apart, what has also worried the Arunachal Pradesh government is the growing presence of the two warring factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN).

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