A tribal insurgent group that operated mostly in Assam’s Dima Hasao district signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the state government on Thursday to shun violence and join the mainstream.
The Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) signed the Memorandum of Settlement in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi.
After the group signed the peace accord, Shah said Assam no longer has any tribal militant group.
“With this, all tribal militant groups in Assam have joined the mainstream,” he said.
The home minister described the pact as “another significant milestone” towards making the Northeast insurgency-free by 2024 and fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of turning it into a peaceful and prosperous region.
Shah said the prime minister has put forth the vision of a terror-free, violence-free and developed Northeast and the Ministry of Home Affairs is moving forward in this direction under the guidance of Modi.
DNLA representatives have agreed to abjure violence, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband their armed organisation, vacate all camps and join the peaceful democratic process as established by the law, the home minister said.
As a result, more than 168 DNLA cadres are joining the mainstream by laying down their arms.
The home minister said the pact will bring a complete end to insurgency in Dima Hasao district.
Chief Minister Sarma said DNLA had deposited some arms before the peace pact was signed and they would surrender the rest in the coming days.
“The cadres of DNLA will now work in tandem with the government for peace, development and stability not only in Dima Hasao district but the state as a whole,” Sarma said.
He said his government has been working for lasting peace and development in Assam under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah.
Under the agreement, the Assam government will have to set up a welfare council to protect, preserve and promote social, cultural, linguistic identity of the Dimasa people to meet political, economic and educational aspirations. The government will also have to ensure speedy and focused development of the Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the existing autonomous council, according to an official release.
The agreement also provides for appointment of a commission under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to examine the demand for inclusion of villages touching North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC). It also provides for necessary measures to be taken by the Centre and the Assam government to rehabilitate the surrendered armed cadres of DNLA.
For all-round development of the NCHAC and the Dimasa people in other parts of the state, the Centre and the Assam government will provide a special package of Rs 500 crore each over a period of five years.
On September 2021, the DNLA declared a unilateral ceasefire for six months following an appeal by the Assam chief minister. the group had been extending the ceasefire since then.
The DNLA ceasefire came two weeks after the insurgent group allegedly fired on a convoy of seven trucks in the Dima Hasao district, killing five people and injuring one.
The DNLA was established in April 2019 with a stated aim to carve out a sovereign territory for the Dimasa people and launched an armed insurgency to achieve its goal. (PTI)
