[Bengia Ajum]
ITANAGAR, 16 Jan: The self-proclaimed chairman of the armed group United Tani Army (UTA), Anthony Doke, has alleged that the state police have picked up a few former operatives of the National Liberation Council of Taniland (NLCT), linking them to the UTA.
Talking to this daily, Doke said that the police are picking up the wrong people, and urged them to stop harassing these individuals.
“Arunachal police is making a mistake by picking up the wrong people. The former operatives of Taniland are no longer working with us. We have no connection with them,” he said.
Doke said that most of the former operatives of the NLCT have started a fresh life. “Many of them have settled down and have started their own families. All our present operatives are fresh recruits. The police should stop harassing the former operatives of the NLCT by linking them with us,” he added.
Itanagar SP Rohit Rajbir Singh acknowledged that the police picked them up for interrogation. “We need to verify some inputs and therefore interrogate them,” he said.
Last month, the UTA had issued a series of press statements and released videos purportedly showing training camps.
Doke was previously part of the NLCT, which was formed around 2005. By the end of 2010, the state police had completely neutralised the group. Its operatives, including main leader Doke, were arrested, and many surrendered voluntarily. At its peak, the NLCT had around 15 operatives, and several extortion cases were registered against them at various police stations across the state.
