Home Secretary Pillai visiting Assam, talks with Black Widow on cards

New Delhi, July 30 (ANI): Union Home Secretary G K Pillai is undertaking a two-day visit of Assam beginning Thursday amid indications that the Black Widow militant group may lay down arms and accept the Centre's offer for talks.

Pillai is scheduled to visit the North Cachar Hills on Thursday, to review the situation with top civil, police and army officials.

The North Cachar Hill District has been rocked by ethnic violence between Dimasa and Zemi Naga communities in which the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) (DHD-J) clashed with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) cadres.

Pillai, would be spending a day at Haflong where he is expected to have meetings with leaders of Dimasa and Naga tribal community.

Pillai is also expected to participate in a meting of the Unified Command in Guwahiti.

DHD-J, which is also known as Black Widow, had offered ceasefire after the arrest of its chief Jewel Garasso in Bangalore in May, but the Union Government rejected the offer.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Guwahati on Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi disclosed that DHD-J, has expressed its willingness to lay down arms and hold dialogue with the government.

Gogoi said he has received a letter from DHD-J expressing their desire to surrender. The letter also contains the list of arms to be laid down, he added.

An expert committee would be formed to verify the list of arms, which the group has offered to lay down before initiating the dialogue, Gogoi said.

Earlier Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had made it clear that the Centre was ready to hold talks with any militant group that abjures violence and surrenders arms, and suggested to the Assam Government to make everything possible to bring the DHD-J to the negotiating table. (ANI)