GUWAHATI, June 16 � A forum of 5,000 terrorism-hit families of the State has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a space for the these families in the peace talks process.
�The Forum for Terrorists Victims Family, Assam� has argued that with former insurgent leaders getting active in public life, such families might be deprived of their share of justice.
In its memorandum to the PM, the forum has mentioned that many families lost their sole bread-earners in terror strikes in the past three decades and they were still spending their days with lots of difficulties.
�Needless to say, the children and young people of such families are still facing great obstacles in pursuing their education. Contrary to the difficulties faced by the victims, the insurgent leaders now have emerged as policy makers at different levels that have made us insecure on various aspects, which might prevent us from getting justice in the present circumstances,� it said.
The forum was formed on August 8, 2010 comprising more than 5,000 affected families.
The forum has been raising its voice to recognize the victim families as a party in peace talks between the militants and the government. �We have come to know that there are instances of making the victims a party in the peace talks in some Latin American countries. And we would like to strongly pursue giving space to the victims� families in the peace negotiation process expedited by the authorities with the armed outfits of the North-eastern region,� argued the forum.
�We hope that the Union Government would toughen its stand further against all groups and organizations taking the path of violence and thereby killing innocent people in the name of carrying out a �revolution�, said the memorandum.
The forum organized a peace convention in April 2013 in Jorhat. The resolutions adopted in the convention included a demand that each and every case related to the extremist violence should be expedited and disposed of in a time-bound manner.
It also said that the government should announce a special economic package for the affected families, under which a government job should be provided to a member of each such family. It should also reserve a few seats in all government-run educational institutes for children of such affected families and also offer scholarships to these students.
