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UWAHATI: What could be a better gift for terror-scarred Assam on the International Day of Non-Violence? For the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel)
faction's ceremonial surrender on Friday was a clear signal of good tidings. What added to its novelty was that it was held on a day the entire country celebrated the birth anniversary of India's peace icon Mahatma Gandhi.
The outfit's "commander-in-chief", Niranjan Hojai, was the first to walk up to chief minister Tarun Gogoi and hand over a M16 rifle. Deputy C-in-C Daniel Dimasa was the next to surrender. Sources said the rest of the cadres, who could not join the ceremony on Friday, would complete the formalities later.
In all, 340 DHD (J) cadres, notoriously known as Black Widow, out of a declared strength of 416 formally surrendered before the CM, joint secretary (home) Navin Verma, top army, paramilitary and police officials in Haflong, the district headquarters of North Cachar Hills.
The members surrendered 148 weapons, including 76 AK series rifles, 23 M series rifles, five machine guns, more than a thousand assorted ammunition and 10 kg of high explosives at the surrender ceremony.
DHD (J) chairman Jewel Garlossa and finance secretary Partho Warisa have been housed in Guwahati jail ever since they had been arrested in Bangalore a few months ago. However, a breakaway faction of the outfit with about 60 cadres is still out in the jungles.
The members had come over ground last month and, since then, have been staying in two designated camps in response to a tough stand taken by Union home minister P Chidambaram to surrender by September 30 or face a crackdown by security forces.
The outfit has been on a killing spree for the last few years and had killed 51 policemen in 2008 alone besides stalling work for two national projects Railways' broad gauge conversion and Surface Transport's East-West Corridor.
Around 40 per cent of DHD (J) cadres are below 20, the youngest cadre being 13-year-old Sonep Thaosen alias Haglai Dimasa, a private' in the outfit. Fifty-nine per cent of the cadres are between 20 and 30 years, while 37-year-old self-styled sergeant major' Bidyut Phonglo alias Paidao Dimasa is one of the oldest cadres. None of the cadres is a graduate. Only four per cent have completed matriculation, 78 per cent have not studied up to Class X and 18 per cent have not been to school altogether.
With its surrender, the outfit placed a charter of demands, which include a change of name for the district, an autonomous state within the state under article 244 (A) of the Constitution, induction of the cadres in government forces and amnesty for all.
The top leaders of the outfit have been involved in some of the most gruesome attacks that have scathed civilians and security forces alike in the last five years. Last year, Daniel Dimasa had pulled off a daring jailbreak from Haflong prison and was soon made the outfit's deputy C-in-C for this. Another leader, Morung Dimasa, is known to have led many of the outfit's subversive operations.
Gogoi said the government would examine the demands. He announced a rehabilitation package of Rs 50 crore for the district and said a police battalion will be raised to accommodate eligible DHD (J) cadres. The CM assured that he will take "personal responsibility for the development of North Cachar Hills and ensure that steps are taken immediately to initiate development in education, health, road communication and employment generation sectors".
UWAHATI: What could be a better gift for terror-scarred Assam on the International Day of Non-Violence? For the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel)
faction's ceremonial surrender on Friday was a clear signal of good tidings. What added to its novelty was that it was held on a day the entire country celebrated the birth anniversary of India's peace icon Mahatma Gandhi.
The outfit's "commander-in-chief", Niranjan Hojai, was the first to walk up to chief minister Tarun Gogoi and hand over a M16 rifle. Deputy C-in-C Daniel Dimasa was the next to surrender. Sources said the rest of the cadres, who could not join the ceremony on Friday, would complete the formalities later.
In all, 340 DHD (J) cadres, notoriously known as Black Widow, out of a declared strength of 416 formally surrendered before the CM, joint secretary (home) Navin Verma, top army, paramilitary and police officials in Haflong, the district headquarters of North Cachar Hills.
The members surrendered 148 weapons, including 76 AK series rifles, 23 M series rifles, five machine guns, more than a thousand assorted ammunition and 10 kg of high explosives at the surrender ceremony.
DHD (J) chairman Jewel Garlossa and finance secretary Partho Warisa have been housed in Guwahati jail ever since they had been arrested in Bangalore a few months ago. However, a breakaway faction of the outfit with about 60 cadres is still out in the jungles.
The members had come over ground last month and, since then, have been staying in two designated camps in response to a tough stand taken by Union home minister P Chidambaram to surrender by September 30 or face a crackdown by security forces.
The outfit has been on a killing spree for the last few years and had killed 51 policemen in 2008 alone besides stalling work for two national projects Railways' broad gauge conversion and Surface Transport's East-West Corridor.
Around 40 per cent of DHD (J) cadres are below 20, the youngest cadre being 13-year-old Sonep Thaosen alias Haglai Dimasa, a private' in the outfit. Fifty-nine per cent of the cadres are between 20 and 30 years, while 37-year-old self-styled sergeant major' Bidyut Phonglo alias Paidao Dimasa is one of the oldest cadres. None of the cadres is a graduate. Only four per cent have completed matriculation, 78 per cent have not studied up to Class X and 18 per cent have not been to school altogether.
With its surrender, the outfit placed a charter of demands, which include a change of name for the district, an autonomous state within the state under article 244 (A) of the Constitution, induction of the cadres in government forces and amnesty for all.
The top leaders of the outfit have been involved in some of the most gruesome attacks that have scathed civilians and security forces alike in the last five years. Last year, Daniel Dimasa had pulled off a daring jailbreak from Haflong prison and was soon made the outfit's deputy C-in-C for this. Another leader, Morung Dimasa, is known to have led many of the outfit's subversive operations.
Gogoi said the government would examine the demands. He announced a rehabilitation package of Rs 50 crore for the district and said a police battalion will be raised to accommodate eligible DHD (J) cadres. The CM assured that he will take "personal responsibility for the development of North Cachar Hills and ensure that steps are taken immediately to initiate development in education, health, road communication and employment generation sectors".
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