The Assam Rifles have surrounded a camp of the NSCN-IM at Siroy in Manipur's Ukhrul district claiming that the outfit has no right to set it up there, AR sources said on Friday.
Barbed wire has been placed around the camp comprising temporary structures claimed by the NSCN-IM to be a 'designated one' with the Assam Rifles keeping it surrounded since January 18, the sources said.
Stating that the para military forces detected the camp during a regular patrol, the sources said "opening such a camp is in gross violation of the ceasefire ground rules signed between the central government and NSCN-IM."
The sources said the NSCN-IM had no right to set up a designated camp in Manipur territory and demanded that the outfit should immediately quit Siroy area.
NSCN-IM spokesman V Horam told Manipur-based local media that there was no question of vacating the camp and blamed the Assam Rifles for adopting a 'confrontational attitude.'
Residents of Siroy and surrounding areas have moved to nearby villages as a precautionary measure because of heightened tension between the two sides, reports said.
{{/usCountry}}Residents of Siroy and surrounding areas have moved to nearby villages as a precautionary measure because of heightened tension between the two sides, reports said.
{{/usCountry}}The Centre had entered into a ceasefire with NSCN-IM for peace talks in 1997 and a ceasefire monitoring centre was established at Dimapur in Nagaland besides setting up designated camps there.
The NSCN-IM is fighting for an 'independent Nagaland'.