DHD militant outfit to sign accord with Centre

The government of India is all set to sign a tripartite agreement next month with both the Dima Hasao Daogah factions, it is reliably learnt. The DHD (Nunisa) faction chief Dilip Nunisa along with some of his colleagues met the Joint Secretary (North East), Ministry Home Affairs, Shambhu Singh on Monday afternoon in the North Block and discussed in detail the terms and conditions of the draft agreement.

Describing this crucial meeting as an "unofficial" meeting, the DHD chief Dilip Nunisa said that his group has reiterated its demand for the "incorporation of all the contiguous villages with the present Dima Hasao district" for smooth passage of the proposed tripartite agreement.

However, the Indian government has categorically told Nunisa that only one contiguous village can be incorporated with the existing boundary of the Dima Hasao district. He has been asked to accept whatever is offered to him. Otherwise, he would be "left behind" and the government would ink the tripartite agreement with the Jewell Garlosa faction of the DHD. The other faction has already signed the draft agreement.

Nunisa had earlier demanded incorporation of 94 contiguous villages with the existing Dima Hasao district from the neighbouring Cachar, Naogaon and Karbi Anglong districts. They also raised the issue of over 20,000 Dimasa tribe inhabited in Nagaland and demanded that the government make a special provision for the Dimasas of Nagaland as and when it signs an agreement with the NSCN leadership.

The government of India and the Assam government rejected the demand. Later, the DHD reduced the number of villages to 80 and asked for inclusion with the Dima Hasao district. The Assam government and the Central government officials made an on the spot survey and found out most of the claimed villages are several kilometers away from the existing boundary of the Dima Hasao district.

The government had initially agreed to incorporate those villages that were within a distance of 10 kilometers from the existing boundary. However, the DHD group insisted that all the villages are "very much within ten kilometers distance of the existing boundary of the Dima Hasao district.

Vision Communications