Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag on Saturday personally reviewed the security scenario in Assam and instructed the commanders in the field to continue relentless operations against the militants even as the Assam Government has handed over the four cases of the recent violence to the National Investigating Agency.
The General reviewed the deployment of 66 Army columns in the State and also undertook an aerial survey of the troubled areas where the militants had on Tuesday killed 75 people, excluding the three killed in police firing, and displaced over a lakh people till Saturday.
On his arrival in Guwahati, the Army chief was given an overview by the military hierarchy of the current status of operations, covering the various measures being taken to effectively improve the larger security milieu in Assam.
The General reviewed the deployment of 66 Army columns in the disturbed areas and examined the blueprint for the employment of accretional forces being inducted into the sector. Suhag also undertook an aerial reconnaissance of the strife-torn areas of the State along with the officers leading the operations.
The Army chief asked the commanders at all levels for greater synergy with the Central and State Intelligence and security agencies and directed his troops to extend all possible support to the State administration in bringing back normalcy, while at the same time carrying out relentless operations against the perpetrators of terror.
He also assured additional support for the renewed focus of operations and hoped that it would rapidly ameliorate the security environment to bring about lasting peace and harmony in the State. The Army chief, while exhorting his field commanders to enhance the intensity of operations against those responsible for the carnage, stated that he would continue to maintain a close watch on the dynamics in the region.
later in the day, in a meeting of the Unified Command, Army Commander Eastern Command, lt Gen MMS Rai along with Gajraj Corps Commander and other senior Army officers held a meeting with Assam Chief Secretary and DGP and discussed the present security situation in strife-torn parts of the State.
Meanwhile, the situation in the troubled Sonitpur, Kokrajhar and Chirang districts, however, remained far from being normal as the exodus of the people of both the affected communities — the Bodos and Adivasis — continued fearing further attack and backlash.
The district administration relaxed the curfew for some hours in the three districts but said that night curfew would continue till substantial improvement of the situation. “We have handed over four cases from Kokrajhar, Dhekiajuli and Biswanth Chariali police stations related to violence to the NIA,” said Commissioner Secretary (Home and Political) Assam, Prateek Hajela.
“At present, there are 81 camps in the four districts and there are 1,01,000 inmates in the camps. While there are 82,115 inmates in 52 relief camps in Kokrajhar district, there are 4,543 inmates in nine relief camps in Udalguri district. In Sonitpur, there are 6,485 inmates in nine relief camps. There are 11 relief camps in Chirang where 12,572 inmates are taking shelter,” Hajela said.