The Modi government has appointed former Director General Assam Rifles Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan as the chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group tasked to ensure the implementation of the agreed ceasefire ground rules between the Centre and insurgent outfits like the NSCN(IM), GPRN/NSCN and NSCN-R .
Lt Gen Chouhan's tenure will be for one year, as per the formal orders issued by the government. The former Assam Rifles chief will be responsible for monitoring the ceasefire ground rules at a time when the Union government is weighing the political and security fallout of inking a final peace deal with the Naga insurgent groups to bring an end to the decades long insurgency problem.
The task ahead for Lt Gen Chouhan is critical, according to security officials. The hopes have been high among the Naga insurgent leaders since the Framework Agreement was signed between the government appointed Naga interlocutor R.N. Ravi and the largest insurgent group NSCN(IM) in 2015. The insurgent groups felt that the Modi government is serious about an early permanent peace solution.
If the final peace deal is not inked soon between the Centre and NSCN(IM) or gets delayed indefinitely, it is likely that there could be palpable tension on the ground, they said.
The security officials pointed towards the sudden flurry of activity within the insurgent camps, noticed atleast twice this year, when rumours spread that the Centre is going to announce a final peace accord.
The last instance was during the just concluded session of the Parliament and then the Independence Day speech of the Prime Minister. However, no announcement has been made so far.
Now with the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, it is a situation of wait and watch in Nagaland and other Naga inhabited areas in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh where the insurgent groups are operating under a ceasefire agreement.
The activities of the groups will need to be reigned in till a final solution comes forth, said security experts, and that task is largely going to remain on the shoulders of the new CFMG chairman.
Lt Gen Chouhan has become the second CFMG chairman to be appointed by the Modi government in a span of four years. He will be in Kohima next week where he will hold formal meetings with all the Naga groups.
Lt Gen Chouhan's appointment has come after 1979 batch IPS officer D.K. Pathak completed his tenure as the CFMG chairman on August 9.
Pathak was appointed as the CFMG chairman in August 2016 by the Modi government when it signed the Framework Agreement with the NSCN(IM), laying the foundation for the final settlement with the Naga insurgent groups to bring peace in the northeast.
Pathak carried out the critical task of ensuring the ground rules of the ceasefire are maintained and any grievances of the Naga groups are shared with New Delhi. In turn, he acted as the eyes and ears of the government while coordinating with the central forces operating in the insurgency hit state. Few attacks by the insurgent leaders took place on the camps of security forces like the Assam Rifles, but no major security incident rocked Kohima.
Pathak was given an extension last year after the peace talks being held by the Naga interlocutor R.N. Ravi were believed to have entered a crucial phase. But another year has passed and no ground has been broken to announce the final contours of the peace deal. However, the ceasefire continues and peace on the ground continues to remain the priority of the government.