Northeast saw 73% reduction in violence since 2014: Amit Shah in Shillong

Shah, however, did not talk about the violence in Manipur, where over 200 people have died since May last year

Guwahati: Terming the last 10 years under Narendra Modi as a golden period for the country's Northeast, Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the region witnessed 73 per cent reduction in violent incidents during the period.

Addressing the 71st plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Meghalaya capital Shillong, Shah said the Northeast moved from being a region of unrest and underdevelopment to the path of peace and development due to the steps taken by the Modi-led government since 2014.

"The Northeast, which was struggling with various ethnic, linguistic, border and extremist groups related problems, has also had the beginning of a fresh and durable era of peace in the past 10 years. If these 10 years for the Northeast are compared with the 75 years after the country's Independence, then this decade will definitely be considered as the golden period of the Northeast," Shah said.

The Union Home Minister said that from 2004 to 2014, a total of 11,121 violent incidents had taken place in the Northeast. It declined by 73 percent to 3,114 between 2014 and 2023. Deaths among security forces dropped by 71 per cent from 458 to 132, while civilian deaths declined by 86 per cent. "The incidents of insurgency have come down because in the last five years more than 8,900 cadres of militant groups have surrendered and have joined the mainstream and this has given a message to the entire country that peace and prosperity are interconnected and without them the states cannot develop."

Shah added that to bring peace and stability in the Northeast, the Modi government signed nine agreements and through these, many pending issues related to law and order have been successfully resolved. "Except some parts of Assam and Manipur, 75 percent of the areas covered under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 2018 have been removed from it."

Manipur situation:

Shah, however, did not say anything about the ongoing violence in Manipur, where over 200 people have died and more than 60,000 others have been displaced since May last year. Seven persons including two police commandos have died in Manipur since Wednesday (January 17). The situation in the state has still remained tense.

Development:

The Union Home Minister further said that in the 50 years of its establishment, the North Eastern Council (NEC) has increased the pace of development of the region by providing a policy-related platform to all the states and simplifying the solutions to their problems. He said that in these 50 years, more than 12,000 kilometres of roads have been constructed in this region, 700 MW power plants have been established and many institutes of national excellence have also been established under the guidance of NEC. Shah added that under the leadership of Modi, the role and scope of NEC has been increased under the Act East Policy. He said work has also been done to promote the use of technology in administration by using North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC). He said that the language, culture, food, attire and natural beauty of Northeast will give a great boost to this region in global tourism.

Shah will attend five government events in Assam on Saturday.