Growing Tentacles of Insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh
03 Jul, 2002 · 783
Bibhu Prasad Routray rings an alarm on the rising insurgency in the hitherto peaceful northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh and suggests checks to nip the menace at the bud
Arunachal Pradesh, spread over 83,743 square kilometres in north-eastern
India
, was hailed until recently as the abode of peace. However, the State is gradually being afflicted by insurgency. Neither the State government nor the Centre have taken stock of the situation, nor drawn up an action plan to arrest the downslide.
Assam
are using Arunachal Pradesh as a transit route to
Myanmar
, and also for setting up camps and indulging in extortion. Most importantly, an indigenous insurgent outfit, the East India Liberation Tiger Force (EILTF) has arisen in the State with the active support of the NSCN.
Myanmar
. However, forays made by the NSCN-IM into the area have led to several internecine clashes. Recent events establish that the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) have made incursions into the area. The thick forest areas of Tirap and Changlang suit the insurgents. A base in the area facilitates the movement of new recruits on their way to
Myanmar
for training. Further, outfits like ULFA can monitor their operations in the entire
Upper Assam
tea belts and industrial locations from these bases.
East Kameng
, are becoming the haunts of the insurgents. Their foray into these interior districts underlines their long-term interests in the region. On 17 February 2002 , an arms dealer, believed to be a supplier to these outfits, was arrested by the Namsai police in Lohit district with a huge cache of sophisticated arms and ammunition. Similarly, the Nyishi people of
East Kameng
district have complained of harassment by the militants of the NDFB as well as the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). Three cases of abduction were reported between May 2001 and January 2002. Despite a backlash by the Nyishi population against the Bodos in the area, an agreement was reached between the All Nyishi Students Union (ANSU) and the NDFB in April 2002 to arrest the situation.
Republic
of
Nagalim
. In the districts of Tirap and Changalang, branches of the State Bank of
India
have been shut down after they were served with extortion notes by the NSCN-K. In 2001, the operations of the Oil India Limited in Changlang district were brought to a halt after the NSCN-IM demanded an amount of Rs. 60 lakhs (US$ 125,000). The oil major had to pull out 130 of its technical staff from the area.
24 February 2002 a minister of the State issued an appeal to the NSCN militants not to harass civilians. A month later, on March 22, the Home Minister of the State attributed the insurgent menace to the ‘non-cooperation by the people’. How could people in far-flung and inaccessible areas be expected to brave the gun- wielding militants?
TThe pattern of insurgency over the last three years tells it all. Twenty-seven incidents were reported in 1999. This increased to fifty-one in the subsequent year. In 2001, they declined but still remained at high with forty-seven reported incidents. In numerical terms these figures might be insignificant. But, in a State with an eleven lakh (1.1 million) population, these numbers are a matter of serious concern.
The insurgents of both Nagaland and
Till recently, it was assumed that only two districts in the State, namely Tirap and Changlang were affected by the factional warfare between the Khaplang and Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN. These two districts have been traditional strongholds of the NSCN-K, because of their proximity to the headquarters of the Khaplang faction in
It was believed that the insurgents would not venture into the interior districts of Arunachal Pradesh. However, recent developments have revealed that two more districts – Lohit and
The impact of insurgency on the State has been serious. According to intelligence sources, every government employee and businessman in Tirap is forced to pay nearly twenty-five per cent of his gross income as a tax for the
The response of the government displays its helplessness. On
It would, however, be futile to expect the State government to meet the situation without the support of the Central government. The latter needs to show greater concern in protecting these States in the region. Another vital requirement is cooperation among the States of the northeast in matters of counter-insurgency. Any piecemeal approach concentrating on particular areas might eliminate the problem in one region, but not prevent incidents in another.
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