JOIN USCentre signs peace accord with 5 insurgent groups of Assam
Five rebel groups of Assam on Saturday signed a peace pact with the Centre and the state government that includes granting autonomy to the Karbi Anglong region of the northeastern state.
The Karbi Anglong Peace Agreement, signed in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, formally brought the curtains down on the insurgency by Karbi – a major ethnic community of Assam – that was marked by killings, ethnic violence, abductions and taxations for over three decades.
More than 1,000 rebels of the five outfits – People's Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), Karbi People's Liberation Tigers (KPLT), Kuki Liberation Front (KLF) and United People's Liberation Army (UPLA) – had surrendered before the Assam government in February.
“Modi government is committed to resolving the decades-old crisis, ensuring the territorial integrity of Assam,” Shah said.
He said a Rs 1,000 crore development package will be given to Karbi Anglong and the peace accord will be implemented in a time-bound manner.
The peace pact will also ensure the protection of identity, language, culture of Karbi people and focused development of the Council area, without affecting the territorial and administrative integrity of Assam.
“We not only sign peace accords but implement them within our time too,” he said, citing the example of similar peace pacts with other insurgent groups of the Northeast – the NDFB, NLFT and Bru groups.
Shah said ever since the Modi government came to power, its focus in the Northeast is not only to ensure peace but also overall development.
Union minister and former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was present on the occasion, appreciated the efforts of the prime minister and the home minister in bringing peace in Assam and the Northeast.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was a historic day as the militants of these five insurgent groups will now join the mainstream society and work for the development of Karbi Anglong.