Insurgency-free Arunachal Pradesh: 15 ENNG militants, leader surrender

Arunachal Pradesh moved a step towards being an insurgency-free state with the surrender of 15 cadres belonging to Eastern Naga National Government (ENNG), a Naga rebel group and its president, on Sunday.

The insurgents laid down their weapons before Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and officers of police and Assam Rifles personnel at Itanagar.

Terming the surrender a significant step towards peace, Khandu said although Arunachal Pradesh does not have a "homegrown" insurgent group, activities of ENNG kept the state's eastern region, comprising Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts troubled for long. "Several insurgent groups in other states of the Northeast have laid down their weapons and joined the mainstream in the past nine years. This was possible due to the steps taken by the security forces and the governments as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to make the region free from insurgency. The surrender of the ENNG rebels will go a long way in making our state insurgency free too," Khandu said at the surrender ceremony.

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Activities by Naga insurgent groups, originating from neighbouring Nagaland, have remained a concern in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts--popularly called TCL region. But constant operations by the security forces led to the arrest of several militant leaders in the TCL region that shares a border with Myanmar.

The annual reports of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the past few years also expressed concern over insurgency activities, particularly in the TCL, despite the state having no "homegrown" insurgent group.

"The cadres laid down their arms on constant persuasion by the Assam Rifles to lead a dignified life and shun violence. The surrender will bring the TCL region closer to normalcy and is a major setback to insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh. Surrendered cadres have been assured of all possible assistance by the government for their smooth and fast rehabilitation," said a statement issued by the Army on Sunday. "There are no more active cadres of the ENNG in the TCL region now," another official said.

Sources, however, said some cadres of the NSCN, the rebel group based in Nagaland, are still active in the TCL region and are carrying out extortions.