Insurgency / Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan. 27: The Centre has decided to give Meghalaya an additional police force of the India Reserve Battalion. The battalion, with a strength of 1,000, will be the fifth in the state. State home ministry sources said the recent spurt in killings and abductions in the Garo Hills was the main reason why the Centre gave Meghalaya the Republic Day gift. Meghalaya director-general of police L. Sailo said currently there are two CRPF battalions and three operational police battalions, located in the East Khasi Hills, the Garo Hills and the West Khasi Hills.

?We have insufficient manpower...

SHILLONG, Jan 13— The Khasi Jaintia Church Leaders’ Forum (KJCLF) has urged the Government and the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) to hold unconditional talks in order to arrive at a lasting solution to the vexed problem of insurgency in the State.

The church leaders expressed concern over the prevailing law-and-order situation in the capital city which has witnessed violent deaths of youths in recent times.

Addressing a meeting of the Forum her on Friday the KJCLF president Bishop Purely Lyngdoh stressed the fact that militancy could be solved only through...

Shillong, Jan. 9: After the talks with the NSCN (I-M) leaders, the Centre is likely to start negotiations with the banned outfit from the Garo Hills — the A’chik National Volunteers’ Council — in the first week of February. Though a date is yet to be fixed, highly placed sources said both New Delhi and the ANVC have agreed to meet in New Delhi and “work out a settlement”. Sources in the Garo Hills said the ANVC has already held two meetings with the Centre’s representatives where it “agreed” to meet the Central leaders without any preconditions.

The ANVC has welcomed New Delhi’s acceptance of...

Guwahati, January 9: With the NSCN(IM) leaders already in Delhi for talks with the Centre, several smaller underground outfits of the North-East have started showing readiness to come to the negotiating table.

One of the first to have shown such interest is the Dima Halam Daoga, a group operating in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district. The DHD has been demanding a separate state for the state’s Dimasa tribals.

Last week, the outfit announced a unilateral ceasefire for six months, with its vice-chairman Dilip Nunisa saying it was encouraged by the manner in which the Government had responded...

SHILLONG, Jan 3 — The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has reiterated its aim for what it termed as the ‘freedom’ of the Hynniewtrep people.

In its New Year message to the people, the banned outfit expressed anger over ‘suppression’ and ‘enslavement’ suffered by the Hynniewtrep people over the years. HNLC, while warming the government if the latter continued with repressive measures, expressed gratitude to its sympathisers.

Meanwhile, the Centre has extended the term of ban imposed on the HNLC and the ARVC as both the outfits have been demanding secessin from India. However...

Shillong, Jan. 3: The Meghalaya government today made it clear that it would not pay ransom to the Achik National Volunteers’ Council (ANVC) to secure the release of district health and medical officer, Williamnagar, P.N. Bezbaruah. The government, however, promised that it would continue its efforts to get the doctor released “unharmed”. Chief minister F.A. Khonglam today told newspersons that the government would not succumb to any pressure from any militant outfit and could only appeal for the release of the abducted doctor.

ANVC rebels had abducted Bezbaruah from Williamnagar on December...

TURA, Dec 21 — West Garo Hills police have made a major breakthrough with the arrest of the publicity secretary of the militant group, People’s Liberation Front (PLF). The arrest follows the killing of two hardcore PLF militants at Burny Hills locality of Tura on December 14 night. Sengwat T Sangma and Lastbind Sangma were gunned down in a gunbattle on that night. Police now claim that the house, in which the two militants were killed, was the house of the publicity secretary. The house owner Niosril Sangma has been arrested on the grounds that he is the publicity secretary going by the name...

Shillong, Dec. 19: The four-member Meghalaya Opposition today put chief minister F.A. Khonglam on the mat over the allegations of the nexus between politicians and rebels.

Leader of the Opposition T.H. Rangad of the BJP, in a query during Question Hour, wanted to know the names of the four MLAs who have links with militant groups. Khonglam replied that ?the names have not been confirmed?.

The chief minister, who had boldly announced a couple of months ago that the Centre was aware of the nexus and the case was being investigated by the special branch, today surprised everyone when he said...

SHILLONG: At least 60 HNLC rebels including many of its top brass have been arrested during this year so far, police said on Tuesday.With the security forces stepping up its counter-insurgency operations almost all the top brass of the outfit were now hiding in Bangladesh, the sources said adding besides the arrest, huge cache of arms and ammunition were seized in the raids during the period.Meanwhile, police stations in the city including mainly Lumdiengjri, Mawlai, Laban, Laitumkhrah and some outposts had been asked to be on allert after Intelligence report suggested that HNLC might attack...

TURA, Dec 17 — Politicians who win in the coming Assembly elections from Garo Hills are already preparing for a long ordeal thanks to militants who have issued diktats to them on how to go about their business. Approximately 26 MLAs will be elected by the people of Garo Hills in early next year. The problem for the new legislators will come from the two main militant groups in the Garo Hills, the banned A’chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) and the Peoples’ Liberation Front (PLF). While the PLF has issued a warning a month ago calling upon all the legislators of the new Assembly to work...