In another step to maintain peace as well as law and order, a tripartite peace agreement was signed on Thursday with 8 tribal militant groups in Assam. Announcing this here, the Union government said more than 1100 persons of the Adivasi outfits are surrendering arms and joining the mainstream.
Unioin Minister of Home Affairs (MHA) Amit Shah, who also attended the agreement ceremony, said the accord is a milestone.
The peace agreement was signed by the Central government, Assam government and rebel outfits of Assam–All Adivasi National Liberation Army, Adivasi Cobra Militants of Assam, Birsa Commando Force, Santhal Tiger Force and Adivasi People’s Army.
Officials said the tripartite agreement was signed with the tribal outfit groups which are currently
under a ceasefire deal with the government. These Assam tribal outfit groups have been in a ceasefire after announcing the suspension of operation years ago and have been holding peace talks thereafter.
However, over a hundred cadres of these groups are now temporarily living in designated camps under the protection of the Assam police.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with senior officials in the Assam government were present during the signing of the agreement.
Speaking after the accord was signed, the Home Minister said the Centre is working towards ending all border disputes in the northeast by 2024. He said that the Narendra Modi government has taken several initiatives for peace and prosperity of the North East Region (NER).
“The biggest programme was to establish peace. In this, we are today crossing a big milestone and moving ahead. Around 1100 persons of Adivasi outfits of Assam are surrendering arms and joining the mainstream today,” he said.
The minister said that the government is working for the conservation and development of culture of Assam and the northeast, ending disputes, signing agreements with armed groups and rehabilitating them and boosting development in the northeast as in other parts of the country. “We have signed several agreements in the past three years. We have decided that before 2024, be it the inter-state border disputes, be it rebel groups, we want to end all the disputes,” he said.
“We want Assam and the North East region should be drug-free, terrorism-free, dispute-free and fully developed. Modi government is working towards this,” he added.