12 accords signed, over 10,000 cadres of various militant outfits in Northeast surrendered: Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that over 12 accords have been signed in the last five years with militant outfits and other organisations in the country's northeastern region, while over 10,000 cadres of various extremist groups have surrendered and joined the mainstream.

Home Minister Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Dr  Manik Saha, officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Tripura government were present at the agreement signing programme with two insurgent groups -- National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) -- in the national capital on Wednesday.

Chairing the signing ceremony, the Home Minister said that after 35 years of armed conflict, the cadres of the NLFT and the ATTF came to the mainstream, and decided to join the development process.

Around 328 cadres of the two outfits would join the mainstream of life and take part in the developmental initiatives, HM Shah said, adding that a Rs 250 crore package has been sanctioned, and a special development initiative was undertaken for the tribals and their areas.

Amit Shah also said that the government would implement all the provisions of the agreement in toto.

"Through the Ashtalakshmi concept and Purvodaya vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, huge development has already been achieved in road, rail and air connectivity in the eight northeastern states. Earlier, there was a gap between the northeastern states and Delhi but now with visionary leader PM Modi's initiatives, the region has achieved tremendous development," the Home Minister said.

Former Tripura Chief Minister and Lok Sabha Member Biplab Kumar Deb, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, senior officials at MHA and Tripura government were also present at the agreement signing ceremony.

A Tripura government official said that earlier on August 10, 2019, a tripartite agreement was signed in Delhi between the Centre, the Tripura government and a faction of the NLFT.

After the pact, 88 NLFT cadres surrendered to the Tripura government and deposited arms and ammunition.

The official said that the surrendered cadres were given benefits as per the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018 of the MHA.

The Tripura government helped the surrendered cadres with housing, recruitment for government jobs, education and skill development training.

Both the NLFT and ATTF have been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 1997 as the outfits have been involved in violence, operating from their camps across the International Border.

The two outfits have been responsible for violent activities, including numerous insurgency-related incidents in which many security force personnel and civilians lost their lives during the period 2005-2015.

Peace talks with NLFT were initiated in 2015 and there has been no major violence by NLFT since 2016.

An official statement said that the MHA has been working tirelessly to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed northeast, free from extremism, violence and conflict.