Militant groups lay down arms in Karbi Anglong

Our Correspondent
Diphu, March 4 (EMN): Four militant groups operating in Karbi Anglong namely the Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT), United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA) and the People Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK) have renounced arms struggle and laid down their arms.

Speaking to media persons during a press conference at Sarkari Goabura Office in Diphu on Thursday, the Convening Committee for Unification (CCU) has appreciated the initiative taken by the governments to end the arms struggle in the hill district of Assam. It also appreciated the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) under the leadership of  its chief executive member Tuliram Ronghang for the active role played in the negotiation process.

Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT)

CCU convenor, Saising Rongpi, stated that two accords were signed with the central government during the popular demand for autonomous state in the hill district. He said one was Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) and its allies in 1995 and the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) with the United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) in 2011. He, however, stated that the hill people have rejected the MoU and MoS as the autonomous state was denied adding the demand is continuing still.

“Creation of an autonomous state within the state of Assam as provided under Article 244 (A) of the constitution is not a demand of a particular group of persons or organization. It is the demand of the hill people including Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao,” the CCU said.

CCU was formed mainly to provide a rallying point for unity and furtherance of the ongoing long-standing demand for autonomous state, said Rongpi.