SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on Wednesday informed that the peace agreement with the ANVC and its splinter group ANVC (B) would be approved by the Union Government ‘very soon’.
Talking to newspersons here, the Chief Minister said the Centre has intimated to the State Government that the draft peace agreement has received the recommendations of various Ministries and it would be approved by the Union Cabinet very soon.
The Centre and the State Government had signed the peace pact with the ANVC and its breakaway faction in January.
However, soon after the agreement was signed some ANVC (B) cadres led by Singbirth N Marak alias Norrok deserted the outfit and formed the United Achik Liberation Army (UALA).
The ongoing peace process has, meanwhile, taken a drastic turn after the ANVC (B) threatened to go back to the jungle after the outfit’s chairman, Rimpu Marak, reportedly went ‘missing’ on June 5.
The outfit has blamed the State Police for Rimpu’s disappearance.
Reacting to a query on the ‘disappearance’ of Rimpu Marak, the Chief Minister said that he has not received any report from the police on the chairman’s whereabouts, even as he stated that it was the responsibility of the police to trace Rimpu.
The Chief Minister also had a different take on the allegations of the ANVC (B) that many of their cadres had been detained and arrested for illegal activities after the signing of the draft peace pact.
“Nobody including the ANVC or ANVC (B) would be allowed to indulge in any criminal activities,” the Dr Sangma asserted, while adding that the police had arrested some cadres for their involvement in criminal activities.
“We cannot allow anyone to indulge in criminal activities and normal course of action will follow against anyone who indulges in crimes,” he added.