Nagaon, May 21: Dispur today responded to the peace overtures by the Jewel Gorlosa faction of the Dima Halam Daogah by asking the outfit to mend its ways for the government to reciprocate.

Forest minister Rockybul Hussain, who is also a government spokesperson, today told The Telegraph that a message has been conveyed to the outfit through the NC Hills district council and organisations of Dimasas at a meeting today.

The minister had gone on a two-day visit to the troubled district to take stock of the situation after Gorlosa’s men gunned down 10 truckers and a locomotive driver last Thursday.

The outfit said since the army had killed a dozen of its cadres, it had to retaliate by calling off the ceasefire it had called on March 25. But on May 16, it again declared unilateral truce.

Hussain’s reconciliatory gesture came within 24 hours of chief minister Tarun Gogoi saying that instructions have been issued to deal with the outfit with a firm hand. Gogoi had also said the outfit needed to give up arms for the government to declare any formal ceasefire.

But in an apparent softening of its stand, the government, in its precondition conveyed to the outfit, did not mention surrendering of arms. It merely wanted the group to “change its behaviour,” meaning it should desist from violence.

Hills area development minister Khorsingh Engti and Lok Sabha member Birensingh Engti accompanied Hussain on his two-day visit to the district that ended today.

“Through the district council and Dimasa tribal groups, we made it clear to the DHD (J) that killing of innocent people while talking truce will not be tolerated. The group needs to change its behaviour,” Hussain said.

He said if the outfit mended its ways, then the state government would take up its peace overtures with the Centre. “We cannot declare a ceasefire just because a group has written a letter to a senior government official expressing its desire to have peace with the government. There are some formalities which need to be observed,” he said.

The forest minister said a peace committee headed by the chief executive member of the district council, Dibulal Hojai, would be formed with representatives from all the communities.

Later in the day, the minister visited Lanka and met the relatives of the 10 truck drivers who were gunned down in Krumgminglangsu on Thursday. He promised ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh and a house under Indira Awas Yojana to the family of each of the victims. The district administration will also bear the expenses of the last rites of those killed.

The Lanka Truck Drivers Association called off the indefinite blockade it had planned from tomorrow after the minister’s assurance.

Blank firing: Security forces resorted to blank firing on a mob which pelted stones at a convoy of trucks carrying essential commodities from Nagaon to NC Hills at Kheroni in Karbi Anglong district around 2.30pm today. The mob set fire to a motorcycle before fleeing.