The rally, comprising executive members and other members of the Autonomous Council, officials, citizens and students, was taken out from the premises of the Cultural Institute Hall. It marched through the major parts of the Haflong town and converged in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Dima Hasao. The procession was led by the Chairman and the Chief Executive Member of the NC Hills Autonomous Council.
Later, the protesters submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner. The memorandum stated that peace and normalcy have returned to the Dima Hasao district after two decades of insurgency as peace accords in the form of the Memoranda of Settlement (MoS) were signed among the Central Government, State Government and the two factions of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD). The process for the implementation of these MoS has already been initiated.
The present NC Hills Autonomous Council has been making all-out efforts to provide good governance, paving the way for change and development, the memorandum added. However, there seems to be a vicious force that wants to shatter the peace and normalcy in the Dima Hasao district as lately, there have been reports and incidents of extortion, kidnapping and killing in the district. It is a matter of great concern that Rajiv Kumar Pathak, executive engineer in-charge, South NC Hills Irrigation Division, was killed by extremists in broad daylight at Haflong on November 22. The people of the Dima Hasao district strongly condemn this senseless killing and other incidents of kidnapping and extortion. The vicious force wants to create a fear psychosis among the people in order to achieve its heinous agenda. In view of this, there is an urgent need to contain the situation before it gets out of control.
Insurgents crossing over from the neighbouring States of Nagaland and Manipur form the main constituents of the vicious force, the memorandum maintained. As the district border is porous and no police station or outpost exists in the border areas, the district has become vulnerable to the infiltration of insurgents and arms trafficking from across the neighbouring States. Therefore, there is an urgent need to create new police stations and border outposts in the sensitive and vulnerable border areas of the district.
The protesters called for the immediate arrest of the killers of Rajiv Kumar Pathak, intensification of counter-insurgency operations, arrangement of adequate security at all the vulnerable areas of the district and establishment of electronic surveillance systems (CCTVs, etc.) in government offices, main streets, markets and public places in the district headquarters, subdivisional (Civil) headquarters and other major townships of the district.
They also demanded establishment of three new police stations at Khepre, Laisong and Boro Arkap as well as four border outposts at Prapsadimdik-Bongkai, Nevang, Hangrum and Leiri.