Paramilitary job sop for militants

Ibobi govt moves Delhi on offer
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh accepts a weapon from one of the United Peoples Party of Kangleipak militants in Imphal on Monday. Telegraph picture
Imphal, Oct. 11 : Surrendered militants will soon get placements in central paramilitary forces like the Assam Rifles, BSF and the CRPF, if they opt for central active service and are fit for the job.
Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today said his government was seeking approval of the Union home ministry for induction of militants who laid down weapons and want to live a normal life to the central paramilitary forces.
“This will be in addition to their recruitment to the state forces like state police, India Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Manipur Rifles. But they should fulfil the requirements, including physical fitness and the educational qualification, for active service whether in the state or central forces,” Ibobi Singh told reporters after receiving weapons from four cadres of the United Peoples Party of Kangleipak at his secretariat this afternoon.
The four militants escaped from their Myanmar camp on October 8 and contacted police in Bishpur district through feelers. They entered Manipur through the border town of Moreh.
They laid down three German-made Heckler & Koch 33 automatic rifles and one Myanmar-made A-1 automatic rifle. All the four were trained in Maynmar training camps of the outfit, the police said.
They were trained at both the Keikon and Khongkhan camps of the outfit in Myanmar. After fleeing from their camp, they spent a day in the jungle near Moreh before meeting the police.
The director-general of police, Yumbnam Joykumar Singh, said the talks for induction of some surrendered militants into central forces was going in the right direction.
Some surrendered militants were already recruited in the IRB, the police and Manipur Rifles.
The chief minister said the surrendered militants wanted to be recruited in the active services instead of any other government departments because of their concern for security.
Intelligence sources said militants often targeted surrendered militants and there were cases where surrendered militants have been killed by their former colleagues.
“Their safety and security is our primary concern. They always opted for active services so that they could be safe with their families. The government will do the needfulto give them a normal and secured life,” the chief minister said.
The chief minister described the escape of Sunil Meitei, leader of Kangleipak Communist Party (Mobile Task Force), from the lock up of Porompat police station in Imphal East on October 4 as “unfortunate”.
Singh said all the police stations were on full alert and the escape routes were sealed to arrest him. Meitei was arrested by Delhi police (special cell) from Bangalore in June this year.