Kohima, May 2: The NSCN (I-M) today threatened to “reconsider” its truce agreement with the Centre if security forces continued to raid its camps and arrest activists. However, the threat had little effect on the Assam Rifles, which said the outfit should stop endangering peace in “civilian-populated areas” if it wanted to be left alone.
A team from the 10th battalion of the Assam Rifles had raided a camp of the “UT-1 battalion” of the NSCN (I-M) in Dimapur town early yesterday and arrested three activists, including the “camp commander”. It also seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition and some communication equipment.
Reacting to the frequent raids by security forces on its camps, NSCN (I-M) deputy kilo kilonser (home minister) V. Horam told The Telegraph that his outfit would not tolerate the “continuous violation” of ground rules of the truce.
“The peace process is a joint venture and if one party is not responding to the agreement, we have to reconsider the arrangement. After all, we cannot go on tolerating the humiliation and harassment,” he said.
The insurgent leader said the NSCN (I-M) had taken up the matter with the Centre as several attempts to resolve the issue within the ceasefire monitoring group did not yield any result. He alleged that the recent raids had been conducted to “rescue smugglers and car lifters” rounded up by the NSCN (I-M) to “rid Dimapur of antisocial activities”.
Horam said members of the NSCN (I-M)’s ceasefire monitoring cell had rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation, only to be harassed by Assam Rifles personnel despite disclosing their identities.
Yesterday’s operation was the second raid on an NSCN (I-M) camp in 10 days. On April 21, security forces had stormed its “town command headquarters”.
Security officials justified the raids, saying these were meant to flush out NSCN (I-M) cadre from civilian-populated areas to enforce the ground rules of the ceasefire. “We will continue to put pressure to ensure that the NSCN (I-M) adheres to the ground rules and vacates the town. Its cadres are causing fear among the general peace-loving people of Dimapur,” a defence release said.
Sources said yesterday’s raid was conducted at the behest of the Union home ministry, which asked the Nagaland government in writing to rid civilian areas of NSCN (I-M) activists. However, officials in the home department declined to either confirm or deny it. “I took charge only today. The communiqu? might or might not have been received,” home commissioner Talitemjen Ao said.
Security forces said the raid yielded “two each of .38 and .32 pistols with magazines, seven magazines of 303 light-machine guns, 19 rounds of M-20 ammunition, 14 rounds of assorted ammunition, two fake vehicle registration plates, a large quantity of illegal communication equipment and incriminating documents”.
The Naga Council, Dimapur, described the raid as “a reply to the recent killing of an army captain and a soldier by certain unidentified miscreants”.