Kohima, Jan. 31: The Nagaland government has expressed serious concern over the growing activities of militant groups from other states in Dimapur, the commercial hub of the state.

According to the state home department, over 10 militant groups from the Northeast are operating in Dimapur in nexus with the Naga outfits which are in ceasefire with the government.

Some of the outfits from the Northeast active in and around Dimapur are Ulfa, Kuki National Army, United National Liberation Front, Peoples Liberation Army, Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel), People’s United Liberation Front, United Peoples’ Democratic Solidarity and the National Democratic Front of Boroland besides Adivasi and Islamic outfits. All these outfits have been unleashing terror in and around Dimapur through extortion, ransom demands and abductions of businessmen and affluent people.

There are also reports of visits of Maoist leaders to Dimapur from other parts of the country. Sources in the Nagaland state security coordination committee said the presence of several militant outfits in Dimapur was posing a serious threat to the business community and leading to rise in the prices of essential commodities.

In view of the prevailing situation, the business community has agreed to the government’s proposal for tapping phones since demands for extortion are made frequently through the phones.

Home minister Imkong L. Imchen said these outfits also targeted businessmen for extortion and abduction.

Imchen said the militant groups of the Northeast were sucking the blood of the Naga people through extortion and other terrorist activities. Several top leaders of these outfits have been arrested but the groups still continue to operate from Dimapur taking advantage of the ceasefire in Nagaland.

The Centre and the state government have asked the Naga groups not to harbour other militant groups, but the two NSCN groups have rebutted the charges.

The NSCN (I-M) said it had neither trained nor sheltered any other groups after signing ceasefire with the Centre in 1998. It assured the Centre that no militant would be supported or sheltered by it. But the Centre has strong evidence of NSCN groups aiding and abetting several militant groups operating in the country, including Maoists groups which are now active in some states. But for the NSCN (K), groups like Ulfa from Assam and UNLF of Manipur are given safe haven in “Eastern Nagaland” (Myanmar).

Sources said the different terrorist groups operating in Assam and Manipur were using Nagaland as a safe haven not only to escape the army operations in their respective states, but to continue subversive activities.

The Nagaland government will raise a commando battalion and set up more security apparatus with a new mechanism to tackle terror.