Accord would resolve armed conflict in Bodoland region if implemented in "letter, spirit": Ranjan Daimary
The Founder chairman of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Ranjan Daimary has said it is a "long way to go" before cases are withdrawn against NDFB cadres and leaders as promised in the fresh Bodoland agreement signed on Monday.
While over 1,600 NDFB members "officially surrendered" on Thursday, Ranjan Daimary added that government have assured them help to get rid of cases of heinous crimes against NDFB cadres.
"It is still long way to go... we have to fight it legally. Government is assuring us that they will try to help us on this, they will work out a way," Ranjan Daimary told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
One of the contentious clause of the accord is that the government will withdraw all the non-heinous cases against the NDFB cadres and all the cases of heinous crimes will be reviewed in a case to case basis.
Ranjan Daimary himself has been convicted along with nine others in the 2008 Guwahati serial blast case that the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI had investigated. They were sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI special court for the blasts that killed 88 people and injured around 540 others.
He was released on interim bail by Gauhati high Court for signing the peace accord since he had pleaded at the high court against the CBI court's verdict.
Ranjan Daimary also added that this accord would resolve armed conflict in Bodoland region if implemented in "letter and spirit".
"There is hope that this will usher an era of peace and development if all the clauses of the accord are implemented in letter and spirit , all our rights, lands and aspirations will be safeguarded," Ranjan Daimary added.
In the surrender ceremony, the chief of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Hagrama Mohilary, who himself had surrendered and signed the earlier peace accord in 2003 that led to the formation of the Bododland Territorial Council (BTC) also added that the cadres would be thinking about how the cases against them 'be lifted' so that the can take 'benefit' of their rehabilitation package.