NEW DELHI, March 4 ? Demand for 512 companies of Central para-military forces by the three north eastern States of Assam, Manipur and Tripura, has raised questions in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The claim that violence in the North-east is on the wane runs contrary to the Government?s claim if the demand for additional forces by the three of the region?s worst insurgency affected States is any indication. The three States among themselves have sought over 500 companies of additional forces.
According to figures tabled in the Parliament last week, Assam has sought 58 companies Central para-military forces followed by Tripura which has asked for 25 companies. But Manipur has called for the biggest deployment seeking 429 companies of para-military forces because of the Assembly elections. The Assam Government has been claiming that its force level is short even according to the MHA?s own assessment of 60 companies. The present Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, and his predecessor Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has been calling that 58 companies that never landed in Assam.
Interestingly, the Home Ministry has claimed that barring the killings in Manipur, the instances of such mayhem in all the other north eastern States have gone down last year as compared to 2000. In Assam, the total violence-related killings were put at 282 as compared to 321 in 2000. The killings also came down in Nagaland from 85 in 2000 to 63 in 2001. Manipur, however, was the lone exception where 168 persons fell to the guns as against 102 the previous year. Incidently, it was also the only State in the region which was under President?s Rule. In all, according to Home Ministry records, a total number of 629 civilians, 588 terrorists and 179 security force personnel were killed in the region in 1384 incidents last year. The number of killings are only next to Jammu and Kashmir.