Centre may send additional paramilitary troops to Assam-Nagaland border

NEW DELHI: Wary that the ethnic clashes between Karbi tribals from Assam's Karbi Anglong district and Nagas along the Assam-Nagaland border could escalate in the wake of execution of nine Karbis last week, the Centre is contemplating rushing additional para-military troops to the trouble-torn area.

Around 1,500 central force personnel are already deployed along Karbi-Anglong areas adjoining Nagaland. However, were a possible backlash from the Karbis to further disturb the peace, the Union home ministry will move to step up para-military presence there.

Preliminary investigations point to the role of major Naga insurgent outfit behind the brutal killings of nine Karbis, suspected to have been abducted from different places before being blindfolded, lined up and shot at from close range at Dimapur.

Though Assam government has sought a CBI probe into the killings, sources in the central government said a CBI probe could be considered only if the request came from the Nagaland government, as the killings had taken place in Nagaland.

Incidentally, Nagaland government has already constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the killings.

Sources at the Centre said the tension in Karbi-Anglong areas bordering Nagaland had led around 2,000 locals to move out of their villages and take shelter in around 11 relief camps.

The killing of the nine Karbis, whose bodies were recovered in a decomposed state from Dimapur, had followed the murder of four Rengma Nagas, including three women, allegedly by Karbi Peoples Liberation Tigers militants. The KPLT attack had come in retaliation of killing of its two cadres allegedly by Naga Rengma Hills Protection Force and torching of several houses were on December 27, the sources said.