Mizoram sleuths hold talks with HPC-D

A senior police officer said today the three-member HPC-D delegation included Lalbeiseia, John Pulamte and Sangneihkunga, senior leaders of the outfit while the state government representatives were led by an Additional Superintendent of Police.

The parleys were held under cordial atmosphere and the Hmar outfit delegates were asked to prepare 'ground rules' for further talks to be deliberated during the next round of negotiations, the official said.

The HPC-D would inform the government officials when they would be ready for the resumption of talks and both the sides would make decisions on when and where to hold the next round, he added.

Negotiations between the Mizoram government and the HPC-D followed arrest of three top leaders of the militant group and also after the state election commission failed to conduct elections to 15 village councils in the Hmar-dominated area of the north-eastern part of the state adjoining Manipur.

The elections were indefinitely deferred after no nominations were filed despite repeated postponement of the last date for filing nominations.