Section of government divided over NSCN-K ceasefire issue?

NEW DELHI: A section in the government dealing with the insurgent groups in the northeast appears to be unhappy over the abrupt pause in peace talks with the NSCN-K, a group that is believed to be responsible for the recent spurt in violence in the region and killing of 18 Indian Army soldiers in Manipur.

Sources said despite Home Ministry's desire to continue the ceasefire agreement, the Khaplang group of the NSCN abruptly abrogated the pact on March 27.
However, R N Ravi, interlocutor for the Naga talks, is said to the unhappy over the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN-K and is believed to have conveyed to the Prime Minister's Office about alleged "mishandling" of the Naga rebel group by the Home Ministry.

However, sources said, the Home Ministry was getting inputs from intelligence agencies for a long time that NSCN-K was not interested in continuing the ceasefire agreement.

In fact, NSCN-K chief S S Khaplang broke the pact at the insistence of ULFA chief Paresh Baruah, who was working at the instructions of Chinese PLA commanders, sources claimed.

Ravi had accompanied Minister of State for PMO and DoNER Jitendra Singh to Nagaland and Manipur recently and had extensive discussions with civil society members and representatives of over 40 different organisations.

Singh said that the overwhelming opinion of the people of Nagaland and Manipur was that the ongoing peace process should be continued.

The minister is expected to submit a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his findings during the visit.

Meanwhile, there has been speculation that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who is currently in Myanmar, may meet NSCN-K chief Khaplang, who is said to be undergoing treatment at a Yangon hospital.

Doval had gone to Myanmar in the wake of Indian Army's operation against northeast militant groups based in that country.

NSCN-K, along with a few other groups, is believed to be behind the killing of 18 soldiers in Chandel district of Manipur on June 4.