GUWAHATI, June 7 � The Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed to the extension of deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) by a further period of three months following a request from the State Government.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting between Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the State Government in the wake of the killing of SP, Hamren Nitya Nanda Goswami and his PSO in an encounter with extremists.
The withdrawal of additional 36 companies of CAPF deployed in the BTAD areas was scheduled for June 11. There are at present 58 companies of CAPF in the State.
The MHA also agreed to deploy five Cobra units of CRPF to launch counter-insurgency operations in the State. An order to this effect will be issued by the MHA on June 9 next.
Rijiju said he had to rush to Guwahati at the directive of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take stock of the law-and-order situation in the wake of killing of the SP, Hamren and his PSO by extremists in an encounter in Karbi Anglong district.
Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla said the State Government would deal with the law-and-order situation firmly by taking up all possible security measures in Karbi Anglong district in the wake of the recent incident.
Khosla requested the MoS, Home for help and support from his ministry to strengthen the security apparatus in the State to deal effectively with subversive forces in the State, including Left-wing extremism and fundamentalist elements.
The Chief Secretary sought assistance from MHA to strengthen the existing police stations and to increase the number of police stations in the State, particularly in the BTAD and the hill district.
Khosla requested MHA to take up with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for strengthening of the mobile network service in the State, particularly in Karbi Anglong, in the backdrop of the recent incident.
Joint Secretary, MHA (in charge of North East), Shambhu Singh assured that MHA would take up the matter with DoT for early installation of mobile towers in far-flung places like Karbi Anglong. �DoT is planning to install 7,000 mobile towers in the North East region alone, mostly along the borders. We will soon take up the matter with DoT to strengthen the mobile network services in Karbi Anglong as well as Dima Hasao districts,� he added.
Singh said the MHA would pursue vigorously with the 14th Finance Commission for awarding sufficient funds for strengthening of the police apparatus in Assam that include riverine patrolling.
The meeting discussed the emergence of Maoists in some pockets of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and South Cachar and felt the need for a comprehensive plan to deal effectively with them.
