Guwahati: In a fresh surge in militant attacks in Assam’s hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills, on Thursday, two villages were attacked, while 14 houses were set afire in Nriambunglow village and 11 houses were burnt down in Dibaola, both under Mahur police station. The district administration has closed down all educational institutions in the North Cachar Hills district till May 31. Authorities have also been forced to discontinue trains in the area.
Hundreds of families have been uprooted in the violence in the hill districts over the past few weeks. While at least 50 people have been killed this year— 18 since March 19 — in North Cachar Hills, over a thousand tribals have been rendered homeless after armed “miscreants” took to raiding villages and setting houses on fire since April 28.
Chief Secretary P C Sarma has a called a high-level meeting of the security forces including the Army on Friday to review the situation. Though over 50,000 security personnel are deployed in North Cachar Hills, the Assam Government is worried that there has been a total lack of coordination between these forces. The district has a population of just two lakh.
“The situation is worsening each passing day. The law and order machinery in the district is directly under the state. But there hasn’t been any sign of improvement despite Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visiting the district and directing security forces to play a more proactive role,” rued Kalijoy Sanguing, acting Chief Executive Member (CEM) of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council.
Interestingly, while armed “miscreants” are specifically targeting members of the Dimasa and Zeme Naga communities, the tribals are still maintaining a cordial relationship. “There is no problem between the two communities. It is up to the government to take steps to bring peace back to the district,” said D Naiding, president of Jadikhe Naiso Hosom, apex body of the Dimasa tribe. “I think the authorities should bring leaders of both communities together,” said Josias Jeme, president of Indigenous People’s Forum, which claims to represent the non-Dimasa tribes of the district.
Acting Chief Executive Member Sanguing, however, holds the state responsible for the worsening situation. “While villages are being attacked and innocent people are being killed, not a single culprit has been arrested till date,” Sanguing said.
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