Guwahati, Apr 4 : After declaring a unilateral cease-fire, the militants belonging to the Black Widow group has submitted a charter of demands to the Government to express desire to come forward for solution of the problems through talks. However, the Government has not yet taken any decision on suspension of operations against the members of the group.
After causing mayhem in the North Cachar Hills district for the past one year, the Black Widow group suddenly declared a unilateral cease-fire by sending a fax message to the Government in the evening of March 24. The message was signed by the publicity secretary of the outfit. But early next morning, the militants gunned down four persons including three Railway employees at Harangajao in NC Hills. Though the militant group claimed that a communication gap led to the incident, the Government was not keen to believe the claim.
Official sources told The Assam Tribune today that the Government received a charter of demands from the Black Widow group, which included creation of a separate state for the Dimasa people. However, the Government has not taken any decision on suspension of operations against the group and the counter-insurgency operations in the NC Hills district are on.
Sources revealed that the strategy group of the Unified Command, which met at Dispur with the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on the chair, discussed the situation in the hill district and the unilateral cease-fire as well as the charter of demands of the Black Widow group, but it was decided that the operations would not be suspended immediately. There were apprehensions expressed in the meeting that the militant outfit might have declared a cease-fire due to pressure mounted on its members by the security forces and it was decided that the operational pressure on the militants would continue, at least for some time to come.
Official sources revealed that the Government is concerned with the violation of cease-fire ground rules by the members of the militant groups, which have already signed such agreements with the Government to come forward for talks and this time, the Government is not ready to take any chances. As on today, the stand of the Government is that the militants would have to deposit arms to come forward for talks for political solution of the problems. “The Government has not yet formally sent any reply to the Black Widow group as the Government is likely to adopt a tough stand as the past experience in sighing of cease-fire agreements was not very satisfactory,” sources added.
Sources further pointed out that as the chief of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), Jewel Garlosa himself had signed a cease-fire agreement with the Government to come forward for talks and later after a division in the ranks of the DHD, Garlosa himself went out to form the Black Widow group. Under the circumstances, the Government is apprehensive of signing another cease-fire pact with Garlosa and is of the view that the militant group should deposit its weapons to come for talks.
Meanwhile, the DHD has submitted a fresh set of demands to the Government to carry forward the peace talks. Sources said that the DHD had earlier demanded creation of a separate state of Dimaraji but the Government of India categorically ruled out the possibility of further division of Assam. Following that, the DHD has submitted a fresh set of demands, which included creation of Dimaraji within the State of Assam in the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), formed under the provisions of the amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India following the signing of the peace pact between the Government and militant outfit Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT). The DHD has demanded that the Dimasa inhabited areas of other districts of the State should be included in the proposed Dimaraji. At the same time, the outfit also demanded that the Dimasa inhabited areas of Nagaland including parts of Dimapur should be included in the proposed Dimaraji.
AT
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