Assam CM directs officials to intensify anti-insurgency operations

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the law-and-order situation in nine upper Assam districts on Sunday and directed officials that anti-insurgency operations be intensified.

He took stock of the law-and-order situation from the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts at a meeting here on Sunday night which was attended by the DGP and senior officials of the Army and paramilitary forces.

After the meeting, Sonowal told reporters that he has asked the police, Army and paramilitary forces to work unitedly and directed the SPs to take every section of the society into confidence for ensuring the security of the people.

He also instructed the SPs to take steps for ensuring that the panchayat elections in 26 districts and 14 civil sub-divisions of the state scheduled on December 5 and 9 are held in a free and fair manner.

"The people of Assam want peace. Both the Central and state governments have taken steps for the development of Assam," the chief minister said.

Asserting that progress is possible only there is peace, Sonowal said the 68 lakh families residing in Assam want their life and property to be protected and his government has taken sincere steps to ensure that.

ULFA(I) has recently stepped up its activities in upper Assam districts resorting to killings and kidnappings, including the gunning down of five people at Dhola in Tinsukia district on November 1. A number of youths have reportedly joined the the proscribed outfit led by Paresh Baruah in the last few months.

DGP Kuladhar Saikia told reporters that the ongoing operations against the ULFA(I) and other extremist outfits activities need to be intensified.

"We discussed with the SPs about the number of men and women who have joined the ULFA(I) and find out from village headmen and other important the locals as well as village defence parties about the number of people who recently left the villages to join the group so that we can take necessary action," he said.