Tension prevails in NC Hills, terrorists stop violence

Guwahati, May 17 (UNI) A sense of fear coupled with eerie silence dominated Assam's North Cachar Hills district, that witnessed four days of unabated terror strikes, even as the Dimasa outfit announced to stop the violence.

According to local newspaper reports, Black Widow terrorist group's publicity secretary Faiphang Dimasa called up their offices last night to announce that their group had unilaterally stopped violence since last afternoon.

However, Assam Police IGP, Special Branch, Khagen Sarma said he did not recieve any official communication in this regard.

The Black Widow group has, however, clarified that they would not allow the Railway and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to carry out their expansion work till a formal ceasefire was brokered.

Altogether 36 people were killed in the violence, that broke out on May 10 forcing the authorities to stop the construction activities.

The entire railway staff had been evacuated with no train services beyond Lumding in that section. Communication to both Barak valley and Tripura had been snapped since the past three days.

District Magistrate Anil Barua has informed that the disruption of road and railway services have led to food crisis in the region as essential commodities could not reach the people.

About 15,000 people under the aegis of Indigenous People's Forum today took to the streets of Halflong protesting against the violence.

Chief Executive Member of the North Cachar Autonomous District Council Depolal Hojai has urged the state government to be 'sincere' in resolving the stalemate soon.

''If they wish this can be very easily achieved. Unfortunately the state government is not interested at all,'' he said.

The railway and highway expansion projects were of national importance and the terrorist group was forcing the Centre for a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the North Frontier Railway has refused to send back their evacuated employees to the 21 remote stations till the situation improved.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, after cancelling his China trip yesterday, rushed to the state to review the situation in the district.

UNI MT PP SP US1439