Tarai armed outfits tamed, says home minister

KATHMANDU, MAY 09 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bam Dev Gautam has claimed that the government has contained the criminal activities of armed outfit s operating in Tarai and eastern Hills.

Gautam said that the number of armed outfit s active in the two regions has come down "significantly" and that security agencies are arresting the heads of such armed groups.

The home minister made such remarks on Thursday during a meeting of the State Affairs Committee (SAC) of Parliament where he briefed the lawmakers on the latest security situation.

After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006, the number of armed outfit s operating in Tarai and hilly districts grew considerably, prompting the Home Ministry to publicise a list of 120 armed outfit s operating across the country.

"But the number has come down significantly now," Gautam said without specifying it.

It is learnt that the ministry has held talks with 21 outfits and, consequently, the latter have surrendered their weapons to the government.

"A handful of minor armed outfit s are involved in criminal activities for the sake of publicity. We have brought the acts of murder and abductions by these groups under control," said Gautam.

During the meeting, the lawmakers also lambasted the government for failing to implement the agreements reached with some armed outfit s, thereby inciting the latter to "revive their violent activities".

The minister added that security agencies were employing all possible means in keeping order along major highways. He cited a tendency among the people living near highways to create road blockades for every accident that takes place there.

Admitting, however, that the number of road accidents has increased significantly, Gautam told lawmakers that the government was mulling new measures to minimise them. He blamed poor quality of roads, badly maintained buses and traffic rule violation for accidents.

"We do not have a sufficient number of traffic police to deploy along accident-prone roads," Gautam said.

The minister named the syndicate practised by transport entrepreneurs as another challenge in maintaining law and order on the highways, stressing the need to formulate laws to end the practice.

Cross-border crimes, nefarious activities of religious fundamentalists and organised crimes were other factors confronting efforts to restore order.

In response, the lawmakers urged the government to take immediate measures to plug the security loopholes. Expressing their concern over the politicisation of the transfer of Chief District Officers and senior police officials, they demanded merit-based transfer of security officers.

"The transfer and promotion of police officials should be free of political influence and vested interests," said NC lawmaker Amresh Kumar Singh.

On the other hand, lawmakers from Madhesh-based parties demanded that security agencies be made more inclusive while complaining that the heavy presence of Armed Police Force in some Tarai districts had terrorised people.

"In recent months, the number of personnel deployed in some Tarai districts has increased dramatically. This is not necessary," said Laxman Lal Karna, a lawmaker from Sadbhawana Party Nepal.