GUWAHATI: Assam’s BJP govt on Sunday signed memorandums of settlement with three Kuki militant groups and one Hmar outfit, with an official statement declaring that the agreements mark the end of “ethnic militancy” in the state, reports Mukut Das. The pacts offer welfare and development councils for Kuki and Hmar communities, with headquarters in Guwahati. The four groups had laid down arms in 2012 in the presence of central and state authorities, signing a suspension of operations pact. The groups were United Kukigam Defence Army (UKDA), Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), Kuki Liberation Organisation (KLO)/Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), and Hmar People’s Convention-Democratic (HPC-D). The welfare councils will receive budgetary support, prepare budgets and submit them for state govt approval. Govt has promised the cadres will be rehabilitated and families of militants killed during the insurgency will receive compensation.
