SHILLONG: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has expressed concern over prevailing law and order situation in Garo Hill terming it as “disturbing”.
Taking to media persons on the sidelines of a programme in Shillong on Saturday, the Union Minister said that there was no sign of improvement as far as situation in Garo Hills is concerned.
Rijiju said that the Centre was willing to provide more assistance “if the State Government wants for tackling militancy in the Garo Hills region.”
Reacting to a query about the reported murder of the Intelligence Bureau officer Bikash Kr Singh, he said that though there was no concrete evidence “but reports indicate that he has been eliminated.”
Singh, a new recruit posted as assistant central intelligence officer at Baghmara, was kidnapped along with a trader identified as Kamal Saha while they were travelling in Sumo along with other passengers from Rongara village to Baghmara on Thursday morning.
Police suspect that ASAK militants are behind the abduction of the IB official and the trader.
Migrants issue: Rijiju, meanwhile, made it clear that responsibility of the migrants from Bangladesh who have been persecuted as religious minorities has to be shared by the whole country and not by the North-East alone.
He said, “If a minority community of a particular country is persecuted on religious grounds it is the responsibility of neighbouring countries to provide shelter to such people in their territory.” Therefore, the Union Minister said, India has provided shelter to Bangladeshi Hindus in India as they were persecuted on religious grounds. He said that Bangladeshi Hindus had been residing in India for several decades in this country.
On continuation of peace talks with the NSCN (K), he said the Government of India wanted to continue with the peace talks with NSCN (K.). “It is the NSCN (K) which has abrogated the peace talks,” he added.
