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On January 2, 2014,
two cadres of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah
(NSCN-IM)
were killed in an encounter with Assam Rifles (AR) personnel at
Holam village in the Khonsa area of Arunachal's Tirap District.
Two civilians were also killed in the cross-fire. Security Force
(SF) personnel later recovered two AK-47s, a sniper rifle and
an M-16 rifle from the incident site. The operation had been launched
following information that some militants were hiding in the village.
This latest incident
was the continuance of an established trend of periodic intrusions
and violence in largely peaceful Arunachal Pradesh. On November
17, 2013, for instance, AR personnel shot dead an NSCN-IM militant
at Kharsang village in Changlang District. The deceased was identified
as 'lance corporal' Aron Gonmei from Tamenglong District [Manipur].
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), at least four militants [three from NSCN and
one from United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I)]
were killed in the State in three encounters through 2013. One
encounter with SFs in 2012 had resulted in the death of one ULFA
militant. Another three militants [two from NSCN-Khaplang (NSCN-K)
and one from NSCN-IM] were killed in 2012 in factional clashes
between NSCN-IM and NSCN-K.
2013 also saw the
arrest of 22 militants, including 11 from NSCN-K, six from NSCN-IM,
three from ULFA-I, two from the IK Songbijit faction of the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS).
There were 31 arrests during 2012, including 21 United People's
Democratic Front (UPDF) cadres, three ULFA-I cadres, three Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
cadres, two NSCN-IM cadres, and a cadre each of NSCN-K and the
Naga National Council (NNC). In one incident, SFs arrested NSCN-K
‘revenue secretary’ and ‘intelligence head of Lohit District’
Hongloan Lowakhao alias Paul, along with four of his accomplices,
on December 22, 2013.
Significantly,
there were no civilian or SF fatalities during 2013. The last
civilian killing in a terrorism-related incident in Arunachal
Pradesh had taken place over six years ago, on November 28, 2007,
when one civilian was killed and another 14 were injured in a
bomb attack by ULFA militants at Bordumsa in the Changlang District.
Similarly, the last incident in which an SF trooper was killed
was also recorded in 2007, on October 25, when three AR personnel
and a civilian were killed and eight persons were injured in an
ambush by NSCN-IM militants in a remote jungle in the Tirap District.
Arunachal had recorded
a total of 63 fatalities, including 40 civilians, 12 SFs and 11
militants, in 2001, the peak year of militancy in the State.
Clearly, the peace
established in Arunachal was further consolidated through 2013.
Nevertheless, a considerable militant presence in the State is
also evident. Apart from the groups already mentioned, other outfits
present included the National Liberation Council of Tani Land
(NLCT), United Liberation Council of Arunachal (UCLA), Arunachal
Dragon Force (ADF), Arunachal Naga Liberation Front (ANLF) and
Tai-Khamti Liberation Front (TKLF).
Though the various
militant groups in Arunachal have not attacked civilians or SFs
over the past years, factional
fights among the two most prominent outfits,
NSCN-IM and NSCN-K, to secure dominance in certain areas - particularly
the Districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding, which border Nagaland
and have provided them safe sanctuaries - have the potential of
endangering future peace. These groups are also engaged in significant
acts of extortion which largely go unreported. The All Arunachal
Pradesh Student’s Union (AAPSU) President, Kamta Lapung, in a
statement issued on April 3, 2013, thus alleged that the NSCN
factions were thriving on ‘extortion’ and soc-called 'donation'
money’. Confirming this, outgoing Arunachal Pradesh Governor,
General (Retd.) J. J. Singh, on May 23, 2013, thus observed:
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The people
of three eastern Arunachal Districts - Tirap, Changlang
and Longding - are living in fear due to the presence of
cadres of the two NSCN factions [NSCN-K, NSCN-IM] in the
area, who resort to kidnapping, extortion and factional
feuds. The problem of Arunachal is directly linked with
that of Nagaland. The Centre should immediately resolve
the Naga issue to bring peace and normalcy to these districts.
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Significantly,
these three Districts are part of NSCN-IM’s projected State of
Nagalim (Greater
Nagaland). Since the signing of the 1997 Ceasefire
Agreement between the Centre and the NSCN-IM, both parties have
held over 80 rounds of talks, without any solution. The latest
round of talks took place on November 21, 2013, where it was decided
that contentious issues need further and extensive discussion.
Apart from these
two Naga outfits, ULFA-I has strong presence in the region. The
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) in a statement issued on
November 4, 2013, noted, "In Arunachal Pradesh, ULFA-I cadres
use the Lohit, Changlang and Tirap Districts for infiltration
and exfiltration to Myanmar, where the base camps of the outfit
are located. The outfit uses these areas extensively for temporary
transit camps while on the move as well as to escape counter insurgency
operations in Assam."
Meanwhile, another
emerging concern is the presence of CPI-Maoist cadres in the State.
The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, R. P. N. Singh,
on March 20, 2013, disclosed that movements of CPI-Maoist cadres
had been reported from the Lohit and Lower Dibang Valley Districts
of Arunachal Pradesh. According to the SATP database, at least
five Maoists have been arrested from the State – three in 2012
(all from Lohit) and two in 2011 (all from Lohit). However, no
Maoist was arrested in the State in 2013.
The presence of
the 53,000 strong Chakma and Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh
as well as the influx of other foreigners, have also raised concerns
among locals from time to time. Indeed, an AAPSU memorandum on
November 30, 2013, urged President Pranab Mukherjee to deport
Chakma-Hajong refugees and all other foreign nationals from Arunachal
Pradesh. The memorandum read:
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The illegal
settlement of Chakma and Hajong refugees has resulted in
marginalization of indigenous tribes like Noctes, Wangchow,
Khamtis, Singphos and Tsangas in the eastern-most part of
Arunachal, while in the western part of the state, the Tibetans,
Bhutanese and Nepalese are exerting their dominance over
the indigenous Monpas, Sherdukpens, Akas and Mijis. In central
part of the State, there is a floating population of Bangladeshis
which has created tension among Nyishi, Adi, Galo, Apatani
and Tagin tribes.
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Realising the challenges
posed by these residual concerns, the Union Government extended
the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act-1958 (AFSPA) in the State
on November 4, 2013, for another six months. AFSPA is being enforced
in Districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding (carved out of the
undivided Tirap District) since September 17, 1991.
The State has a
thin Police presence, with 9,627 State Policeman in total though
the very low population of the State raises the Police-population
ratio to an extraordinary 764 Policemen per 100,000 populations,
compared to the national average of 138. However, as compared
to a national average of 52.9 Policemen per 100 square kilometres,
Arunachal has just 11.5 Policemen per 100 square kilometres. The
problem is further compounded by the very poor physical infrastructure
of the State. With an area of over 83,743 square kilometres, the
State has a road density of just 14.96 kilometres per 100 kilometre
area, as against a national average of 42 kilometres/100 square
kilometres. The State also lacks a civil airport and a rail network,
though a skeletal helicopter service to some of its major towns
has now been established. Union Minister for Road Transport and
Highways C.P. Joshi, on February 5, 2013, disclosed that only
100 kilometres of the 2,400-kilometres long Trans-Arunachal Highway
announced under the Prime Minister’s package for Arunachal Pradesh
had been completed so far. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced
the project in the capital Itanagar on January 31, 2008.
Meanwhile, the
State Government is pressing for the creation of two new Autonomous
District Councils (ADCs) in the bordering Districts of the State.
The State Assembly had passed two resolutions in 2004 and 2007
for the creation of the Patkai ADC covering Tirap and Changlang
Districts (including the subsequently created Longding District);
and the Mon ADC, covering Tawang and West Kameng Districts. This
move has raised some concerns among security experts. An unnamed
senior Army Officer, on December 23, 2013, warned that “more money
could mean more extortion, besides development”. ADCs directly
receive funds earmarked for them by the Centre. This step, moreover,
may be a prelude to demands for formation of more such ADCs and
the rise of militant groups around this issue. Notably, the UPDF,
led by its 'commander-in-chief' Sumona Munglang, had emerged in
the State in 2011, with the objective of creating an ADC out of
nine administrative circles in Lohit and Changlang Districts.
The group, however, suffered a setback when several of its cadres,
along with Sumona Munglang, were arrested
in 2012.
The political classes
have often failed to initiate pragmatic steps, taking long term
repercussions into account. Arunachal Pradesh is not only afflicted
by the overflow of insurgencies from its neighbourhood, it is
also under significant threat from China, which has laid claims
to much of its territory. Accelerated development of the State's
infrastructure and economic profile is necessary, not only to
provide a better life to the people of Arunachal Pradesh, but
also to secure a durable peace and the national interest.
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