Arunachal: Kiren Rijiju condemn poll related violence
In two separate incidents, two persons were killed by suspected members of NSCN (IM) in Tirap and Longding districts during last 48 hours.
Itanagar
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Sunday condemned the poll related violent incidence and attack by underground elements in trouble-torn Tirap and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday that resulted into loss of two innocent lives.
In two separate incidents, two persons were killed by suspected members of NSCN (IM) in Tirap and Longding districts during last 48 hours. In the first episode, one Jaley Anna, supporter of a National People’s Party (NPP) candidate, was mercilessly beaten to death and another critically injured by an NSCN (IM) member and his group at Kheti village in Tirap on Friday night. In the second incident, former Zilla Parishad Member of Nginu block, Seliam Wangsa was killed by some unknown person around 10 pm on Saturday night, police said.
“In a democracy, elections should be fought in a peaceful and democratic manner. Fighting the elections by use of muscle power, guns, is against the democratic spirits,” stated the BJP leader Rijiju, who is seeking re-election from the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat in the April 11 polls, at a press conference here.
He said: “Being the Union MoS of Home looking after the country’s security, I promise stringent action will be taken against the perpetrators of this condemnable acts that claimed lives of innocents.
“All state and central security forces deployed over there have been directed by the Central government to initiate action against those outside elements trying to create trouble on way to peaceful conduct of the elections,” Rijiju said, adding that the security forces have already launched combat operations in the area.
He said that in last 5 years, there is huge improvement in North East security and law & order front, and the incidents of violence including kidnapping, ransom, killing of security forces personnel and civilians, and operations against militants have plummeted by 79 per cent as compared to the figures prevailed prior to 2014.
Following improvement in overall security scenario in NE, the controversial law Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been extensively relaxed from parts of the region, and is in force in three districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding – and four police stations areas in Arunachal. “Our efforts to banish AFSPA from the region will continue,” he said, adding that the Centre wants total restoration of peace and order in the TCL districts.
Commenting on the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which witnessed widespread protests across the Northeast post its passage in the Lok Sabha but failed to pass in the Rajya Sabha, Rijiju said that CAB has nothing to deal with Arunachal Pradesh, which is a well protected state and is governed by different set of law, Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
During the press meet, Rijiju was accompanied by State BJP president in-charge Tame Phassang, party candidate from Itanagar, Kipa Babu, and senior leaders Vishal Nabam and Lelung Lingfa.
