Shivraj Patil congragulates a newly recruited jawan of the Assam Rifles during the attestation parade at Assam Rifles Training Centre and School in Sukhovi on Wednesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Kohima, May 14: Union home minister Shivraj Patil today reviewed law and order in Nagaland with government and top security officials.

Patil, who arrived here on a day’s visit, separately met Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, chief minister Neiphiu Rio and Congress Legislature Party members and reviewed security in the state.

Patil assured them that the Centre would extend all possible help to the state government to contain law and order.

Sources said the home minister urged the gover-nment to rein in militants who were creating law and order problems in the state.

He, however, told the governor and the chief minister that maintaining law and order was the primary responsibility of the state government and that Centre could only provide assistance.

Government sources said the meeting with the Union home minister was fruitful and he was appreciated for his concern for law and order arising out of the factional clashes, extortion, abductions and killings.

K. V. Pusa, parliamentary secretary of the Congress Legislature Party, said the Congress had assured the home minister that it would extend help to the Centre in containing law and order. “We have told him that the Congress will extend help to the Centre to maintain law and order in the state,” Pusa said.

He also thanked the home minister for visiting the state at this precarious juncture.

Senior Congress member and former home minister H. Chuba Chang said the Congress had asked the Centre to pay more attention to the existing truce ground rules and implement them as well so that the insurgents do not disturb law and order.

“If there is any lacunae in the ceasefire ground rules, Centre will immediately look into it,” Chang quoted the home minister as saying.

Earlier, Patil was accorded a warm reception at the 26 Assam Rifles’ helipad by the state government representatives.

In the morning Patil inspected the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School at Sukhovi near Dimapur.

Addressing the jawans, the minister said Assam Rifles was the oldest paramilitary force in the country and its role was diversified, which included guarding the Northeast borders, conducting counter-insurgency operations, assisting the civil administration in maintaining peace and security and undertaking various civic action and development projects.