Kohima, April 19: Five personnel from 29 Assam Rifles posted at Dimapur were taken hostage by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) this morning and taken to Camp Hebron, 35km away.
They were released later in the afternoon following intervention by the district administration.
According to the outfit’s sources, the Assam Rifles personnel were captured along with the mini truck in which they were travelling near the NSCN checkpoint at Camp Hebron.
According to the ceasefire ground rules, security forces were not allowed to come within a 1-km radius of the designated camps of the NSCN.
The outfit had claimed that today the Assam Rifles personnel were captured only 10 metres away from the checkpoint near its headquarters.
“The Assam Rifles were trying to create a situation,” a senior functionary of the NSCN said.
He said Assam Rifles had gone overboard when there were peace talks between the government of India and the NSCN led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thiungaleng Muivah, who are currently in New Delhi.
The five personnel, who were captured this morning around 8am, were released around 2pm along with their arms after dialogues with the district administration, ceasefire monitoring group and Naga organisations.
“Our personnel have been released,” Maj. Atul Chauhan, PRO of inspector-general of Assam Rifles (North) said.
Following the incident, hundreds of security forces rushed to the area, after which the NSCN alerted its cadres. But hundreds of Naga women blocked the highway some 2km from Hebron and did not allow the security forces to proceed further.Only top army officials were allowed to go to Hebron for negotiations with the NSCN.
The Dimapur district administration, led by Hushili Sumi, along with Naga organisations, members from the ceasefire monitoring group led by chairman Maj. Gen. N. George, rushed to Hebron and managed to defuse the tension.
The captured Assam Rifles personnel claimed that they had lost their way and landed at Hebron, a version which the NSCN dismissed.
Maj. Atul, however, said it was not the intention of the Assam Rifles to intrude into Camp Hebron.
He said had it been the intention then they could have moved in with large troop.
The NSCN had recently warned the 29 Assam rifles of retaliation if it does not stop provocation.
The force had raided several houses of top functionaries of NSCN in and around Dimapur recently.
Today’s incident, too, was not the first. In 2009, the NSCN captured five personnel from 33 Assam Rifles, including a Capt. S. Momo, along with their weapons near Pfutsero town.
The security personnel were captured when they were patrolling in the vicinity of the designated camp of the NSCN. They were released the following day after the intervention by the administration and the Naga organisations.
Apart from its council headquarters, there are also general headquarters of the “Naga Army” not far from Hebron, a training centre and a Special Task Force, also near Camp Hebron (the council headquarters). It is one of the largest militant camp areas in the Southeast Asia.
The NSCN headquarters has its full-fledged secretariat of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim and also a parliament house known as Tatar Hoho.
The strength of NSCN has increased manifold since the truce was signed in July 1998.
According to sources, the strength of the outfit would be around 30,000; including the military and civil set-up.
There were over 15,000 cadres (Naga army) armed with AK rifles and Chinese Action Rifles.
