Silchar: Jiribam MLA Mohammed Achab Uddin has written a letter to Northeast BJP co-ordinator Sambit Patra, urging him to ensure that the 39 Assam Rifles camp stationed in Goakhal in Jiribam district, which the authorities are planning to withdraw from that place, is not withdrawn.
The letter sent by the legislator to Patra on Monday said residents of Goakhal, about 32 km from Jiribam town, have been agitating since the camp’s withdrawal became public, fearing problems from miscreants/militants in the absence of the Assam Rifles camp. Residents have been enjoying a peaceful life since the camp was stationed in that area. They now fear facing problems like threats and harassment if the camp, which has been protecting the locals by preventing illegal activities, is withdrawn, the MLA’s letter said.
The MLA requested Patra to take up the matter with the Ministry of Home Affairs so that the Assam Rifles camp is not withdrawn from Goakhal, which is around 32km from Jiribam town. A copy of the letter is available with EastMojo.
Several people in Goakhal and its nearby areas came out on the streets on Sunday and staged a sit-in protest in front of the Assam Rifles camp opposing the camp’s withdrawal. They demanded the camp should remain there for people’s safety and security and sought the intervention of the Jiribam administration. Locals also hit the streets on Monday and threatened to continue their agitation till the decision of withdrawing the camp is revoked.
Videos of people in large numbers shouting “We Want Indian Army” have surfaced on social media. The videos have reportedly been taken in Goakhal where people are protesting since Sunday. A video of the same is available with EastMojo.
A resident of Sonapur village in Jiribam district S. U. Laskar, who is aware of developments related to the matter, told EastMojo on Tuesday evening that Goakhal and many other areas in Jiribam had witnessed incidents of extortion in the past and people are now fearing that similar problems will happen if the camp is withdrawn. Locals of Goakhal have also dismantled two bridges in Goakhal and Choto Bekra (Jiribam) so that army jawans of the camp cannot leave the place. People in huge numbers are patrolling the areas at night to stop the jawans from departing, he said.
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A resident of a village near Goakhal, who wished to remain anonymous, said the news of the withdrawal of the Assam Rifles camp has sparked panic among people. Militancy and similar activities, which Jiribam and Manipur, had witnessed in the past, may rise again if the camp is withdrawn from that place, the resident suspected.
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