Gogoi to Rajnath: Withdraw Nagaland Police from border

Correspondent
GUWAHATI, SEPTEMBER 18

ALLEGING the deployment of Nagaland armed police personnel in some villages of the disputed area belt, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the immediate withdrawal of the personnel.
While apprising Singh of the prevailing situation on the border and the need to rehabilitate the displaced persons, Gogoi in a letter to Singh said: “The presence of Nagaland armed police has caused panic among the people and they are reluctant to return to their homes. It is necessary that Nagaland armed police is immediately withdrawn from the villages”.
“Delay in the return of the displaced persons to their homes may aggravate the law and order situation in the state. Sooner the people return to their villages, the better it is for the maintenance of the law and order situation,” he told Singh.
Gogoi also requested the Union Minister to initiate immediate measures for the deployment of the SSB as a neutral force in the affected villages along the border. “Necessary suitable directions may be passed to the Government of Nagaland and SSB authorities for ensuring early return of the affected families from the relief camps,” he said.
On Wednesday, Gogoi reviewed the prevailing law and order situation along the border with senior state government officials.
“The officials apprised the Chief Minister that the situation was fast returning to normal and that the process of the rehabilitation of the displaced was on. They informed the Chief Minister that some Naga villagers backed by NSCN cadres were creating obstruction in the process of rehabilitation, thus creating a sense of insecurity and panic among the villagers. So far around 5,700 camp inmates have returned to their villages while 4,167 are still in the relief camps,” a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said on Thursday.
It added that the Chief Minister asked the officials to take up a slew of confidence-building measures to restore complete normalcy in the violence affected areas.