Granting autonomy to tribals in the Northeast has removed their feeling of alienation to a great extent but still a lot needs to be done, Union home secretary Gopal K Pillai said today.
Releasing a book - 'Tripura's Bravehearts', Pillai said setting up of autonomous district councils for tribal communities in the Northeast, particularly in Tripura, under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution helped solve many problems.
"The feeling that their lands have gone into the hands of immigrants is still there. That is why the remnants of insurgency exist. But when they got the autonomous councils, the tribals in Tripura got a sense of place," he said.
The home secretary said Tripura showed a good example of how insurgency could be tackled without taking help of the army.
He said Tripura has ample natural resources which could be exploited properly if Chittagong port in neighbouring Bangladesh could be opened for the North-East.
"This will also help remove the feeling of alienation," he said.
Sharing his experience of working in different troubled theatres, former top police officer K P S Gill said he believed that Punjab insurgency was tactically supported by elements in the United States, Britain, Canada and a few European countries as it served their interests at that point of time.
Editor-in-chief of The Tribune Raj Chengappa and author of the book, former Tripura DGP BL Vohra, also spoke on the occasion.
