Overall NE situation improves substantially
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 4
Nagaland and the North-East in general has witnessed a relatively improved security situation, says a Parliamentary committee report. The report - Security Situation in the North Eastern States of India - published by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, was presented in Parliament on July 19.
The Committee’s report was based on data from the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Crime Records Bureau and the Seventh Report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission.
According to the report, Nagaland experienced a marked improvement in the security situation over the past two years with insurgency-related incidents decreasing by 43 percent in 2016 as compared to 2015 and by 67 percent in 2017.
The Committee’s report stated that the improvement “may be attributed to the signing of the Framework Agreement…”
It stated, “The signing of the final Naga Peace Accord can bring long lasting peace to the State that was once the hotspot of insurgency,” and recommended the continuation of the GoI’s efforts to engage the “Naga groups.”
NE situation
“The overall security situation in the North Eastern States improved substantially in 2016 and 2017. While the States of Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim remained free from insurgency, a marked improvement was observed in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur.”
The report stated that insurgency-related incidents in the region decreased by more than 15 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. “The year 2017 witnessed the lowest number of insurgency related incidents since 1997,” it states.
As per the figures, civilian and security forces casualty decreased significantly in 2017, while kidnapping also declined.
The Committee attributed the decline in violence to “efforts of the Central Government and the State Governments” and the security forces. It however cautioned the government that sustained efforts must continue in this direction.
State-wise
While the overall security situation improved in the region, state-wise breakup indicated a rise in insurgency-related violence in Arunachal Pradesh.
In 2012, Arunachal Pradesh accounted for 5 percent of the insurgency-related incidents in the region. “However, in 2017 it accounted for almost 20 percent of the incidents in the region,” the report noted. It added that the state is affected by the “spill-over” activities of the NSCN groups in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts and also groups from Assam.
Assam, despite waning secessionist activities, has seen increased incidence of crime in general. The report noted that Assam has the highest rate of violent crimes in the country. “The Committee accepts that the insurgency-related instances of kidnappings and extortions may be on a decline, but a general rise in the instances of such crimes is worrying…”
It added that this may be due to poor rehabilitation of former insurgents.
Manipur saw a marked decline in insurgency-related violence in 2017. However, the state accounted for 54 percent of the total number of violent incidents in the region in 2017, a rise from 48 percent in 2016. Civilian casualty doubled in 2017 as compared to 2016, while the security forces casualty fell in 2017. “Meitei insurgency accounted for about 62% of the insurgency incidents in the state,” it stated.
Meghalaya experienced a “vitiated security situation” in 2016, which was attributed to activities of Garo insurgent groups. According to the report, the state witnessed a 45 percent decline in violent incidents in 2017. It stated that the security forces have been able to neutralise the Garo National Liberation Army. As noted with regard to Assam, the report called for adequate rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Tripura has shown a steady decline in violence over the past 5 years. As a result, the report said that AFSPA was withdrawn. While stating that the activities of the National Liberation Front of Twipra-Biswamohan [NLFT(B)] and All Tripura Tiger Force have been contained, the Committee recommended that talks with NLFT(B) must continue.
Mizoram has remained largely free of insurgency except ethnic tension arising from the forced migration of the Brus (Reangs), the report said. “The Committee recommends that the Ministry should put adequate security measures in place… in the areas where the Brus are to be rehabilitated.”
Sikkim has been the only NE state that has not witnessed any insurgent movement till date.
