Silchar, April 2: Dima Halam Daoga vice-president Dilip Nunisa has threatened to call off the ceasefire following an attack by a Hmar outfit on the Dimasas on Monday.
Nunisa told The Telegraph over telephone today that the outfit would be ?forced to call off the ceasefire, which came into effect on January 1, and return to the jungles if the government fails to protect the lives and property of the Dimasas?.
A red alert had been sounded in both Cachar and North Cachar districts apprehending retaliatory clashes between theHmars and Dimasas.
Assam veterinary minister G.C. Langthasa, a Dimasa, has appealed to both the tribes to maintain peace.
On Monday night, Hmars had attacked the Dimasa hamlets of Chekarcham and Meghnathal in Cachar district for four hours, torching 70 cottages.
South Assam deputy inspector-general (DIG) of police N.M. Dutta today said the Hmars had also fired at random, killing one person and injuring two other Dimasas. The victim had been identified as Bidur Barman, 30, a resident of Meghnathal. The two injured persons are undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital near here.
Authorities said the raid was a reprisal by the Hmars against their alleged persecution by DHD militants.
On March 5, suspected DHD militants had attacked the Hmar villages of Balmul and Multhajao in NC Hills, forcing 750 Hmars to flee their homes to the Hmar-dominated village of Hmarkhawlien in Lakhipur subdivision of adjoining Cachar district and Kolasib town in north Mizoram. The exodus is continuing unabated.
Sources said the DHD had raided the Hmar villages to avenge the abduction of three of its cadres by the Hmar People?s Conference (HPC) in connivance with the NSCN (I-M) on February 29. The DHD had retaliated by abducting three Hmar farmers on March 3. The hostages are yet to be freed.
Senior administration and police officials today visited the villages in Cachar district where Hmars had launched a retaliatory attack on Dimasas on Monday night. They said the situation was tense but under control.
Dutta said nearly 30 Hmars, including members of the Hmar People?s Conference (Democratic), launched the retaliatory attack on the Dimasa hamlets, situated 30 km from here. As information about the attack trickled into this town last night, police and CRPF personnel launched a combing drive.
Dutta said nearly a dozen Dimasas are still missing following the violence. They are presumed to be hiding in nearby forests. No arrests have been made so far.
Meanwhile, the administration is trying to restore normalcy in the Hmar areas of South Assam. Patrolling has been stepped up in vulnerable areas and the police have been ordered to activate the community liaison groups and set up peace committees in a bid to restore amity between the two communities.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has asked the Cachar district administration to submit a report on the Hmar refugees whose accommodation, food and medical relief are being taken care of by the sub-divisional officer of Lakhipur.