Silchar, Oct 21 : The Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic), a breakaway faction of Hmar People’s Convention, is about to split into two factions.
Factional rivalry started within the outfit about two weeks back after its top echelons impeached its founder president, Lalhmingthanga Sanate, a 52-year-old Hmar community member from Manipur and a political science graduate from St Edmund’s College, Shillong.
The outfit has its strongholds in Mizoram and in adjacent Manipur and Cachar and Dima Hasao districts of Assam.
Insurgency watchers in Mizoram said Sanate’s ouster has not only fuelled factional rivalry in the otherwise close-knit rebel group, but has also created confusion within the intelligence community of the state.
Observers surmised that Sanate was ousted at the behest of leaders who had always been opposed to his soft stance during talks with the Mizoram government, adding that the same leaders were now rallying behind John F. Hmar, the outfit’s popular information secretary.
Hmar, according to the sources, is pitching for an autonomous district council, comprising Hmar-inhabited areas in Mizoram, as a condition for coming overground and laying down arms.
Mizoram chief minister Lalthanhawla had, however, vigorously opposed this.
The chief minister had made it clear that his government could only consider revamping the present district development council granted in 1994 to the HPC, then led by Hmingchungnung Lalhmingthanga.
There are at present about 5 lakh Hmar people in Mizoram.
In the meantime, the HPC (D), in a statement signed by information secretary John F. Hmar, has condemned the present wave of violence in Dima Hasao district since the killing of James Dimasa, the former home secretary of the militant outfit, DHD (J), near Haflong on October 13.
The outfit called for an immediate end to the violence and preservation of peace and racial harmony in the district.
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