Karbi Anglong Accord: Home Min Shah says 'Modi govt committed to solve decades-old crisis'

The BJP-led Assam government, in collaboration with the Centre, signed the historic 'Karbi Anglong Agreement' at the Union Home Ministry office in New Delhi on Saturday. This bill has been passed in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and former CM Sarbananda Sonowal, along with six insurgent groups active within the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) region. While signing the agreement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said it is another milestone in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Insurgency free prosperous North East”. The Home Minister mentioned that this peace agreement was committed to resolving the decade-old crisis concerning the territorial integrity of Assam.

'Central and Assam Govts fully committed' 

During the signing of the Karbi Anglong agreement, Home Minister Amit Shah said that this agreement would be mentioned in golden words in the history of Karbi Anglong and Assam. He said, "Today, around 1000 cadres of more than five organisations have joined the mainstream, shunning arms. Central and Assam governments are fully committed to their rehabilitation." He added, "Assam Govt will spend around Rs 1000 crores to develop Karbi region in five years. It is the policy of the Narendra Modi Govt that we fulfil all the promises made in an agreement during our tenure itself."

While talking more about the agreement, Shah assured the representatives of the five organisations and Assam CM that the Centre would fulfil all the conditions laid out in the agreement within the designated time frame, paving the way for long-lasting peace and development in the Karbi Anglong region. The Home Minister also brought up references of other agreements like the Bodoland agreement, Bru agreement and the NLFT agreement, where the government had met 80% of the conditions.

Besides Assam Ministers, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla was also present for the signing. After the agreement was signed, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that the Centre hopes to get further development in the Karbi Anglong region. The armed groups who signed the Karbi agreement included Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front, People's Democratic Council of Karbi Longri, United People's Liberations Army, Karbi People's Liberation Tigers, Karbi People's Liberation Tigers (R) and Karbi People's Liberation Tigers(M). Reassuring the representatives of the five organisations and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, the centre promised to fulfil all the conditions laid out in the agreement within the designated time frame. 

1040 militants surrendered

Earlier in February, 1,040 militants, including the "most wanted" Ingti Kathar Songbijit from five insurgent groups — Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), People's Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), United Peoples Liberation Army (UPLA) and Kuki Liberation Front (KLF) — surrendered before then Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to return to the mainstream. An official ceremony was held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati, where the militants laid down their arms. The former militants submitted 338 weapons, including eight light machine guns with 11,203 bullets, 11 M-16 rifles and 58 AK-47 rifles. The former militant of the five organisations had come to surrender their weapons after a year when the BJP signed the Bodo peace accord to end the long-running violence in Bodoland.

Image Credits - Twitter (Amit Shah)