Insurgency / Meghalaya

TURA, June 24 – The banned A’chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC), which is suspected to be behind the kidnapping of Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Balpakram National Park, D Sathiyan, from Baghmara town on June 18, has denied any hand in the abduction. Informing this, the publicity secretary of the ANVC, Arist Sengsrang Sangma, said that the outfit had no connection with the incident and came to know of the abduction from newspaper reports. “We have no idea about the incident but we cannot rule out the involvement of other groups,” said Arist Sengsrang. He also criticised the Meghalaya...

SHILLONG, June 20 – A deposited rocket launcher or a snifer rifle would make a surrendered militant in Meghalaya richer by Rs 25,000, while laying down an AK-assault rifle would fetch him Rs 15,000, as fixed in a rehabilitation package by state government, reports PTI. The scheme for surrender-cum-rehabilitation of militants in the state, tabled in the Assembly here Friday by Chief Minister D D Lapang, announced incentives for the laid down weapons and ammunition.

As per the scheme, a surrendered activist would get Rs 10,000 for a carbine/SLR, Rs 5,000 for a stengun and long-range wireless...

SHILLONG, June 9 – The ruling Congress in Meghalaya has asked the 12th Finance Commission for a special assistance to modernise the State’s police force and creation of additional battalion of armed police to enforce law and order in the State. The three-member delegation of the party told the Commission that peace was prerequisite for any development in the State. And to maintain peace, the government should have an adequate manpower to enforce law and order.

“So special assistance may be given to the government for modernisation of police force and creation of additional battalion of...

SHILLONG, June 6 – The underground Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) extremists of Meghalaya have indicated their willingness to come overground and many more ultras will come forward to return to the mainstream, Chief Minister DD Lapang has said, reports PTI.

“ANVC cadres are showing a green signal,” official sources today quoted the Chief Minister as saying at a gathering at Nongpoh on Friday on the occasion of 12th Ri-Bhoi district foundation day celebrations. Many more would come forard to return to the mainstream. This was a “welcome sign” for peace in Meghalaya, he said.

Many...

SHILLONG, June 4 – The Meghalaya Government will soon take up the issue of state-based militant camps in Bangladesh with the new government at the Centre, as part of a fresh approach towards tackling the menace of militancy. Chief Minister DD Lapang and Home Minister Robert G Lyngdoh will visit New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to discuss militancy in the state, besides the issue of North-east-based militant camps in Bangladesh after the state budget session in the end of the current month.

It may be mentioned here that the Border Security Force (BSF) has handed over a fresh...

SHILLONG, June 1 – ‘Fake militant’ groups are involved in most of the cases of extortion in Meghalaya, and not necessarily the ‘real’ banned outfits, State director general of police L. Sailo has revealed. “Groups of petty criminals are trying to exploit the situation in the State and extorting money from businessmen in the name of banned outfits,” the police chief told The Assam Tribune in Shillong on Monday. “Such small-time extortion bids by petty criminals have always been carried out not only in Meghalaya but throughout the country,” Sailo said. The police have nabbed quite of few of...

AIZAWL, May 26 : Mizoram council of ministers endorsed the draft prposals for laying down of arms by the underground Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) cadres and repatriation of Brus lodged in Tripura relief camps, state Chief Secretary said here today. HV Lalringa told PTI that the decision was taken by the council of ministers which met yesterday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Zoramthanga.

SHILLONG, May 5 – With the surrender of 11 more Hynniewtrep National Volunteer Council (HNLC) militants at a BSF camp near the Mizoram-Bangladesh border last week, the number of ultras belonging to the outlawed outfit has gone up to 56. Meghalaya Police are yet unaware of the details of the surrender though they confirmed the event. The ultras were escorted to Jowai in Jaintia Hills district in the state yesterday.

One self-loading rifles (SLR) and some ammunition were given up by the extremists during the surrender, police said. According to preliminary accounts of the surrender, the 11...

SHILLONG, May 3 – Night curfew has been clamped within five-km range of the entire international border that Meghalaya shares with Bangladesh to pre-empt movement of arms and ultras. This was done following intelligence reports of an impending danger along the porous 425-km stretch of border that the State shares with the neighbouring country.

Earlier, curfew had been imposed along the stretch of border in the East Khasi Hills district only in the wake of reports of arms being ferried into India from Bangladesh. “Informations were received that arms are being smuggled into India from...

SHILLONG, May 1– Cadres of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) are hiding in the jungles of the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Assam and Meghalaya Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh has said. “We are aware that ULFA cadres, on the run following counter-insurgency operations in Bhutan have sneaked into the Garo Hills from Assam and have been hiding there,” Lt. Gen. Singh said during a brief interaction with the media after being sworn in as the Governor of Meghalaya at the Raj Bhavan in Shillong on Saturday.

Governor Singh would be in charge of Meghalaya for a period of one month as...