New Delhi, Jan. 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today admitted that the most serious threats of terror came from the Northeast.

His admission coincided with the data released recently by South Asia Terrorism Portal, a New Delhi-based security analysis agency, that the region topped the charts for the most number of deaths in terror strikes — 1,057 — surpassing even Jammu and Kashmir with 539 fatalities in 2008.

According to the figures, Assam and Manipur have turned into killing fields with Assam accounting for 372 deaths and Manipur 500.

“We face multi-dimensional challenges of different kinds, but the most serious threats are those posed by terrorism, Left-wing extremism and insurgency in the Northeast. Left-wing extremism is primarily indigenous and home-grown. Insurgency in the Northeast exploits disparities in income and wealth but it is also sustained by the sanctuaries provided to the leaders of insurgency movements in the neighbouring countries. There are, hence, fundamental differences in the way we need to view the internal security challenge and deal with the three threats that I had mentioned,” Singh said.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the militants operating in the Northeast were finding shelter in Bangladesh and Myanmar and many of them got support from Pakistan.

“The militants of the Northeast are finding havens in Bangladesh and Myanmar and many of them are also being supported by Pakistan. So we have to deal sternly with them,” Gogoi said at the daylong conference of chief ministers on internal security.

He said since the activities of these terror groups were getting support from foreign countries, there is an urgent need for central and state agencies to fight them unitedly.

“The country’s unity and integrity have been threatened by terrorist activities. These terrorists are being sponsored by foreign countries. Therefore, to tackle them, the Centre and state governments should join hands.”

Gogoi termed the new National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a positive step.

Home minister P. Chidambaram said he was happy to see that most states had taken several steps to strengthen internal security but stressed the need to raise the level of preparedness to meet the increasingly sophisticated threats. There was need to enhance the speed and decisiveness of the response to a terrorist threat or attack, he added.

“We represent elected governments. The executive, more than the other branches of the state, and more than any other agency of the government, is ultimately responsible to the people. In the states, the buck stops at the desk of the chief minister. Intelligence is gathered by a number of agencies. They rely on both human intelligence and technical intelligence. Their contribution is valuable. Nevertheless, the best source of intelligence still remains the local police station and friends of the local police.”

Meghalaya chief minister Donkupar Roy said the state has already started work on the suggestions made by the home minister.

“We have set up a crisis management group with the chief secretary as its chairman. We are setting up a control room under the supervision of the special superintendent of police and setting up an analysis wing. At present, we are sharing information with the IB, MHA and other agencies of the central government on a real-time basis. Joint briefing of authorities at the level of chief secretary/principal secretary (home) would be done more frequently. The state has made use of the NSA and the Unlawful Activities Act in tackling militant outfits, and district authorities have been instructed to draw up plans to continue to identify and apprehend such elements.”

NDFB ceasefire

The Centre has extended the ceasefire with the banned NDFB till June 30 this year after delaying it for almost a week because of alleged involvement of the outfit in the Assam serial blasts in October, adds PTI.

“The agreement of suspension of operations with NDFB has been extended by six months,” Gogoi said.

But there was some confusion about the extension of the truce when Chidambaram said: “The ceasefire agreement will be signed in accordance with a new set of ground rules. We have already shared the same with the Assam government and the agreement will be signed in a day or two.”

Gogoi was unavailable for comment after Chidambaram’s remarks.

The NDFB’s publicity and information secretary, S. Sanjarang, told The Telegraph over phone that with the extension of the ceasefire for another six months, “We are hopeful of resolving the Bodo problem peacefully. We also appeal to the Bodo organisations and the people irrespective of caste and creed to support the peace process for an everlasting solution.”