Underground factions asked to vacate Kohima town

Kohima, May 03 (UNI) To thwart any inter-factional clashes in the highly populated areas, the Kohima district administration has asked all underground factions in the town to vacate their camps and hideouts immediately.

Official sources said here today that a flush-out drive will be carried out by police and security forces for the protection of the lives and property of the people.

Kohima Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sachopra Vero convened a consultative meeting with Superintendent of Police (SP) R P Kikon, Gaon Burahs, Panchayata Chairmen, Councilors of Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) here yesterday.

The representatives of various organisations held discussions at the meeting and decided to ask all the underground groups to vacate the populated areas.

The meeting also urged all the citizens to keep strict vigil on the movement of the militants and accordingly inform the administration for their own security.

It urged all the houseowners not to let any house on rent to any unknown persons and keep strict vigil on their tenants so that no miscreants could take shelter.

It further appealed to the vehicle owners to keep only known drivers, so that any militants could not use their vehicle.

SP Kikon informed the meeting that police had already started frisking of vehicles at various strategic points of the town as precautionary measures for the protection and safety of the citizens.

The DC requested all the representatives, especially the Gaon Burahs and Panchayata Chairmen to cooperate with the police and security forces to chase away all armed cadres from the populated areas and to implement the Ceasefire Ground Rules, as agreed by the underground factions with the Centre.

Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles (AR) was also helping the district administrations throughout Nagaland to maintain law and order, Public Relations Officer of the AR Inspector General Major Pallab Choudhury told UNI here today.

He said the AR personnel were helping the district administrations of Dimapur and Kohima by setting up Motor Vehicle Check Points (MVCP) in vulnerable areas of both Kohima and Dimapur to stop movement of the armed cadres and prevent any inter-factional clashes in the populated areas.

UNI AS DPM AB 1045