IMPHAL, July 27 - Former Intelligence Bureau Director Debendra Sharma has been appointed as Interlocutor to facilitate the ongoing Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with 23 militant groups under two conglomerates � Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People�s Front (UPF) in Manipur.
Disclosing this in the ongoing Assembly session here on Thursday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the step has been taken to bring about an amicable solution to the Kuki issue within a time frame.
Clarifying the questions and observations by opposition Congress MLAs over the report of State Government�s inability to maintain law and order in hill areas, Singh, who hold the Home portfolio, informed the House that the State Government has a clear cut stand to bring about an early settlement as the people continue to face hardships due to the frequent violation of ground rules by the cadres of SoO signatory groups.
Informing that the government has tightened security to curb the unwanted incidents in the State, he said, so far 52 cadres of SoO groups have been arrested for violating the ground rules.
Around 33 NSCN cadres were also arrested for extortion related cases this year, he added.
KNO and UPF represented eleven and eight militant outfits respectively.
