The Hindu : Front Page : Patil agrees on coordinated action against militants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 04, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Patil agrees on coordinated action against militants

By Our Special Correspondent

GUWAHATI, OCT. 3. The Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, today accepted the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi's suggestion for coordinated action by the North-Eastern States against the militant outfits spreading terror in the region.

Talking to reporters at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi international airport here, Mr. Patil said the Home Ministry was in touch with other States in the region and was likely to give effect to the suggestion. He hinted at a crackdown on the militants, saying the Government "would not spare anyone involved in these incidents of mindless violence."

Reviews situation

Mr. Patil also reviewed the law and order situation with Mr. Gogoi and senior officials of the Army, the police and the paramilitary forces.

Asked which outfit was behind the twin blasts in Dimapur, Mr. Patil said it was the handiwork of "some people who were trying to spread terror in the region and who did not want the peace process initiated by the Government to continue." He said it would not be wise to come to any immediate conclusion when asked if he thought any foreign agencies were involved.

Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Gogoi said he had impressed upon Mr. Patil the need to exert pressure on Bangladesh and Myanmar to demolish the camps of militant groups on their soil. Assam had become more vulnerable after the crackdown on militants in Bhutan as members of the United Liberation Front of Asom and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland had spread to the neighbouring States of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

The Assam Chief Minister said he had also spoken to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, on the need for demolition of militant camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Unless the roots of these insurgent groups were not uprooted such incidents of violence would continue. Mr. Gogoi said he had instructed the security forces to adopt a new strategy to counter the militants.

PTI reports from Dimapur:

Mr. Patil said the Centre would try to put in place soon a long-term strategy to tackle the insurgency. Stress would be laid on coordination among the law-enforcing agencies, the Army and the paramilitary forces in the North-Eastern States.

Visits blast sites

After holding talks with Mr. Gogoi in Guwahati, Mr. Patil travelled to Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland, to visit the sites of yesterday's blasts. After holding talks with the Nagaland Chief Minister, Nephiu Rio, he said, "All help, including additional security forces wherever necessary to ensure protection of human lives, will be provided by the Centre." Peace was an area "where no compromise will be made."

'Talks will continue'

Asked if the violence would deter the Centre from holding talks with the militant outfits, including ULFA, he said, "Talks are the only way by which issues can be solved. These incidents are sad. Still we are determined and we will not stop talking."

Asked if the violence in Nagaland would have any bearing on the peace process with Naga insurgent outfits, Mr. Patil said, "No, certainly not." Queried if the peace process was moving in the right direction, he said, "There has been peace for several years now, which shows it is going in the right direction."

On whether the incidents in Assam and Nagaland were linked, he said, "I think we should not jump to this conclusion. The only thing in common is the date and the weapons used." The purpose of his visit to Nagaland was to convey the message that the Centre was "rock solid" behind the State Government and the people.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page