Government urged to revoke IRBn shifting

Our correspondent

Itagar, April 12: The Wancho Council, Wancho Students’ Union (WSU), Longding District Students’ Union (LDSU), NGOs and the people of Longding have strongly opposed the government’s alleged move to shift the 1st Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn) from Longding district to Tezu.

Terming the ‘move’ as against the interest of the indigenous people, the organizations, in a press note, appealed to reconsider such sudden and shocking order for the immediate shifting of the IRBn.

Wancho Council, the apex organization of the Wancho community, expressed its sentiments saying that the State government need to rethink it (the decision) with the strategic importance of Longding, which is bordering Myanmar, Assam and galand.

“The government in the past has shifted the SSB, ITBP and CRPF from Longding which has weakened the most needed security manpower in the district. When the district is in need of more manpower (security forces) for maintaining law and order, the government’s move is against the interest of the people,” the council said while citing that the people of Longding have been facing confrontations through the reported boundary disputes with neighbouring Assam and frequent law and order problem because of the underground elements.

Reasoning that the Centre had recently extended AFSPA indicating the need of more armed forces in the district – the organizations felt that the IRBn, which is the lone company operating in the district, should not be shifted for the betterment of the people.

WSU opined that if the IRBn is shifted then there would be shortage of police in the hyper-sensitive district with very less number of police force.

Further, the organizations appealed the Chief Minister and Home Minister to reconsider such ‘order’ for the welfare and security of the people.