From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Rajya Sabha has praised Meghalaya for ending insurgency in Garo Hills but underlined the need for timely rehabilitation of surrendered rebels to avoid recurrence of militancy.
“The GNLA had been a significant security threat to Meghalaya and the efforts of security forces to neutralise it are praiseworthy,” the Committee in its report submitted to Parliament last week said.
“The Committee, however,cautions the government that if the cadres who have surrendered are not rehabilitated timely and adequately, then there is a possibility that the disgruntled groups may potentially regroup to form a new outfit or indulge in illegal activities,” the report added.
The panel recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs must make sincere efforts to rehabilitate the reformed cadres by providing financial assistance and opportunity to enter the mainstream.
It also suggested that a sufficient number of security forces may be deployed in the entire Garo Hills region for sustained combing operations to tackle the remaining cadres of GNLA and recovery of arms and ammunition from their possession.
The committee, headed by former home minister P Chidambaram, appreciated the improvement in security situation in the North East but stressed the need for sustainable efforts to make the region militancy-free.
The panel comprises 10 Rajya Sabha and 31 Lok Sabha MPs.
