2291 killed in State last year: CM GUWAHATI, Feb 12, 2001: Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today informed the State Assembly that a total of 2291 persons were killed in the State in violent incidents during the year 2000. Out of them 412 civilians were killed in insurgency-related violence. He also informed that 56 police personnel, 7 CRPF men and 15 Army personnel were killed in insurgency related incidents in the State during last year. In reply to a question raised by Congress-I MLA, Dr Ardhendu Kumar Dey relating to secret killings, the Chief Minister said all killings were secret as long as the killers were not identified. He said there was no known gang of killers in the State except the insurgent groups. Regarding the recent killings of Hindi-speaking people in the State by the ULFA, the Chief Minister said the killings were aimed at pulling the security forces on defensive as well as dicrediting the present State government which had been following a hard line approach to the insurgency problem. In reply to another question raised by the leader of the Opposition Silvius Condopan, the Chief Minister informed that 1193 extremists belonging to different outfits were arrested during the period from April, 2000 to January, 2001. [AT]       Top

About 8000 militants surrendered since 1992 GUWAHATI, March 1, 2001: Nearly eight thousand militants belonging to different outfits, including the ULFA, NDFB, BLT, BTF, KNV, DNSF and MULTA, surrendered before the Government since 1992. Official sources said that the surrender process started in the year 1992 and in that year, 3850 militants, all of whom belonged to the ULFA, surrendered. As many as 1986 militants, including 1625 ULFA, 128 NDFB, 42 BLT, 39 BTF, 23 KNV, 58 RNSF, eight GNLF, 13 UPDS and 43 MULTA, surrendered last year. Sources said that 889 militants were given training on vocational courses through Government and non-government institutions to provide them self-employment avenues. So far 30 co-operative societies have been formed by the surrendered militants after receiving vocational training and the Government has allotted 1213 bighas of land to them to set up the cooperatives. However, interestingly, till date the Government has failed to adopt a clear-cut policy on the cases against the surrendered militants. Till date, the police has not been able to file the chargesheets of most of the cases pending against the militants, who have come overground and the cases have not been withdrawn. [AT]       Top