Northeast Youths Eager to Re-Join Mainstream Society

Guwahati / Imphal, Jul 5 : A growing number of misguided youth in the northeast, having initially joined militant outfits, are returning to the mainstream society.

These youngsters were lured to join militant outfits and take up arms. Many of them having realized that the outfits do not help them, and violence does not help in resolving issues, are wanting to give up militancy.

In Assam, seven cadres of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (anti-talk group) gave up arms at a ceremony in Golaghat recently.

Those who surrendered included the self-styled commander Vishal Brahma, Sergeant Ajoy Basumatary, Arun Daimary and several others.

They belong to a group led by Ranjan Daimary, who is now in jail.

"After joining the group I was disillusioned because I expected something good from it, but that never happened. Now I have realized that my decision was wrong and my future was at stake.

So I decided to come over-ground," said Harenna Daimari, surrendered militant of the NDFB.

"When I joined NDFB, I didn't see the hidden truth. Now, I have realized and I am coming back to the mainstream. Earlier, there was one group, but now there are two factions and there are continuous clashes between them," said Ajoy Basumatary, a surrendered militant of NDFB.

In one of the biggest surrender ceremonies in recent times in Manipur, 19 hardcore members of three banned outfits - KYKL, ULA and UNLF laid down arms at Assam Rifles headquarter at Mantripukhuri.

The surrendered militants - 15 United Liberation Army, three Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup and a self-styled Sergeant Major of the United National Liberation Front also handed over a large quantity of communication equipment and arms. It included an AK 47 Rifle with ammunition, two Sten-gun carbines, two 303 rifles, four pistols, hand grenades and three wireless radio sets.

"There is a clear indication that those who have taken to arms, now have realized that it is not the right way of achieving the goals I think is that a society can only develop when there is peace and development," said Y Joykumar Singh, Deputy General of Police, Manipur.

In Assam's erstwhile North Cachar Hills now Dima Hasao District, new armed groups have come up since the surrender of DHD (Jewel) faction on Oct 2, 2009.

The security forces are making efforts to neutralize the new and small groups an outcome of long and sustained efforts of security forces, eight hardcore cadres of the newly formed Halam National Liberation Army (HNLA) laid down their arms at 45 Assam Rifles headquarter in Haflong.

The key leader of the surrendered militants outfit was identified as SS Captain Rengchanjem.

The cadres had received basic training in the jungles of Churachandpur district of Manipur.
The mass surrender by militants indicates that the ideology of bloodshed and violence is increasingly being rejected by the youth in the region.