DIMAPUR, JULY 16 (MExN): Police deserters and stolen weapons from the police armoury was the primary feature of the monthly Cease Fire supervisory meeting held Monday, July 16 at the police conference hall, NAPTC, Chumukedima. Chairman of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group (CFMG), Major General (Retired) N. George held back to back meetings NSCN-K and GPRN/NSCN today. Representing the state government were Banuo Z Jamir, Additional Chief Secretary & Commissioner and L. Thechamo Lotha, ADG (Ops). From the Assam Rifles was Colonel Manuhar Sharma; and from the CRPF were DIGs Ashok Kumar Kanujia and AN Pandey.
The recent discovery of Nagaland Police service rifles in the possession of cadres of one of the factions, the subsequent finding of theft of police weaponry from Zunheboto DEF, policeman deserting from service and joining ranks with the GPRN/NSCN with arms; and the allegations which arose thereof were the main focus.
“The absolute need to return the weapons has been conveyed… this is government property which they accepted knowing that it was stolen,” said the CFMG chairman interacting with media persons after the meetings with the two groups. Twenty-one SLRs (15 with the NSCN-K and 6 with the GPRN/NSCN) are known to be in the possession of the two groups. “But both raised issues of ambiguity about who has what,” the chairman added.
In other words, both sides raised doubts on the number of the alleged stolen weapons in their possession, as according to the chairman, the theft and sale of the weapons started in 2010, before the split of the GPRN/NSCN. For this reason, a list specifying the details of the stolen rifles will be provided to both the groups to check and identify the weapons, he said.
On the other hand, the main reason of the meetings, according to the chairman, was the drastic change of situation over the past few weeks. More seriously, “We have cases of people being abducted and murdered in cold blood. This has to change…” “I’ll be writing a letter (to the NSCN-K) stating that the individual(s) involved in the recent killing of a GPRN/NSCN cadre must be handed over to the police,” the chairman said. The statements of the NSCN-K of wanting to sit across the table are nothing, “if what they’re doing on the ground is not in consonance with what they state.” The “big problem is that there is evidently a disconnect between what is spoken by the supervisor (CFSB) and the action in the ground which is evidently controlled by someone else.”
On the reported abduction of a ‘Brigadier’ of the NSCN-K by the GPRN/NSCN, the chairman said that the latter was clearly told that their action was in no way contributing to the situation rather aggravating it. The NSCN-K was assured that no harm will be done on the abducted ‘brigadier’, the chairman said citing a message conveyed right after the news of the abduction.
On the return of weapons seized from Athibung as demanded by the GPRN/NSCN, the chairman said that the weapons will be returned to those ‘red ID card’ holders but for that to happen the situation must be conducive. Earlier, CFSB supervisor of the GPRN/NSCN, C. Singson said that the talks in this regard were positive. On the allegation of buying stolen police weapons, he said that the chairman was told they did not buy any weapon from SI Kughai of Zunheboto DEF, as was reported. “Kughai approached us to become a member but we declined. They brought two weapons and wireless set… we did not invite them, they came at their own freewill.”
Citing the attitude of the CFMG chairman as rather dictatorial, Singson said, “If the chairman controls the whole thing on his own terms, it will not work in the long term.” “You need to create a space for the CFSB members (space as in where the members cannot be dictated upon).”
