Demands to prohibit illegal weapons to stop attacks against Muslims

The All India Muslim Majlis E Mushawarat (AIMMM), an umbrella body of Muslim organisations in the country, has asked the state government to start a crackdown on illegal arms in the possession of miscreants in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) soon.

After a three-day tour of the violence-affected areas of BTC and meeting with relief camp inmates, an AIMMM delegation raised the issue of seizing illegal arms with the chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday.

AIMMM president Zafarul Islam Khan on Friday said that unless the state government starts the exercise of mopping up illegal arms, there are chances of a rerun of the recent "carnage" in the BTC.

"The chief minister has assured us that rehabilitation of displaced people will be completed by August 15 and foolproof security arrangements will be made for the safe return of displaced people to their respective villages. However, we have raised the issue of seizure of illegal arms from miscreants. The chief minister has also agreed that illegal arms pose a threat to long-term peace in the BTC," Khan said.

Without naming any groups, Khan added that the recent violence in the BTC was the result of illegal arms possession by miscreants.

Recently, Union finance minister P Chidambaram (earlier home minister), during his visit to BTC also raised the issue of firearms in the hands of rebel groups that have not joined the mainstream yet. "There are groups that still possess firearms and have not joined the mainstream yet," Chidambaram had said.

Khan also informed that the AIMMM has decided to help the relief camp inmates to file first information reports (FIR) against the perpetrators of the violence and provide legal aid to them. "Our volunteers will help the camp inmates in filing FIRs because without this, legal redressal will not be successful. We have requested the government to provide facilities in the relief camps itself for filling of FIRs," Khan said.

The AIMMM delegation also met Bodo leaders including BPF MP Biswajit Daimary and BTC member Daneshwar Goyari.

Khan said that the Bodo leaders said they also wanted peace in the BTC and return of the displaced people to their respective villages.