Insurgency biggest threat in Northeastern states, says Rajnath Singh

Agartala, Feb 14: On a visit to Chittagong Hill tracts areas along the Indo-Bangladesh border, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today termed insurgency as the biggest problem facing the Northeastern region and asked militants to shun violence.

"Our government is committed to the development of the

. But insurgency and militancy hamper its progress. Insurgency is the biggest problem facing the Northeastern region," he said addressing a press conference here.

The Home Minister appealed to insurgent groups operating in the Northeast to shun violence and give the region a chance to progress.

"I have assured Tripura government of all cooperation to deal with the issues of insurgency and other security related issues," he said.

Earlier, the Home Minister visited the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura and reviewed situation in frontier areas, particularly Chittagong Hill tracts, which is known to be frequented by militants of several insurgent groups of the Northeast.

Accompanied by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, the Home Minister interacted with BSF personnel deployed at Khantlang in North Tripura district and took stock of the situation with senior officials.

BSF personnel explained the Home Minister the functioning of monitoring equipment used at the Border Out Posts. Addressing the BSF jawans, the Home Minister underlined the importance of their presence in border areas and saluted their courage.

"I salute these brave men who stay away from home to perform their national duty. We love our security forces," he said.

In the Chittagong Hill tracts, across the international border, several Northeast militant groups have their bases and training camps, sources said.

PTI