Ear to the Ground

All efforts to help the misguided North-East youth to give up their love for the gun will come to a naught if they are not helped to quickly settle down to lead a normal life and contribute their might for peace and progress. This process of assimilation into the society is the responsibility of the State Governments and they will do well that there is nothing gratuitous in undertaking rehabilitation of such persons who have laid down their arms. Unfortunately, rehabilitation and counselling are more often than not pushed to the backburner after the ‘surrender ceremony’. And, naturally, it is a cause for concern for every one. All those in the drivers’ seat  will do well to remember that unlike in Kashmir, where religion played an important role in promoting secessionism and terrorism, in the North-East, militancy raised its ugly head because of lack of development, poor employment opportunities and above all a sense of benign neglect. Till a couple of years ago, there were virtually no avenues for the educated youth of the region. Even now, the services sector, the major employer elsewhere, is still in its infancy here. While Delhi believed in ‘money pour’, local satraps believed in ‘healthier’ passbooks and thus created fertile ground for militancy and made the frustrated young man cannon fodder for the sinister designs of dubious external agencies like the ISI. The fact of the matter is, whatever the underground leaders might say, the much maligned North-East youth did not pick up the gun as if by natural instinct, to secede from India.  How much money played an important role in swelling the underground can be judged from the fact that during the mid-90s, when its popular support base started to crumble, the ULFA not only paid handsomely to its new recruits, but also to the middlemen, who inducted the youth to the ‘new life’ in the first instance. Most other insurgent outfits copied the ULFA tactic to show off their muscle power. That over the years, the misguided youth have realised that peace, not violence, is the key to progress is undeniable. They have also realised that they are just like tools in the hands of forces, whose main aim is to destabilise India. But ‘returnee’ status is not a bed of roses. It is full of thorns. Often, they had to pay with their lives for deserting their militant masters even as their new neighbours viewed them with suspicion. Undoubtedly, a feeling of ‘unwanted’ is depressing and distressing. The sooner governments appreciated the ‘returnee’ dilemma and put their act together with a commitment in mission mode the better for the affected and the society at large. NGOs too can play a role in this regard. This task brooks no delay.