Insurgency / Meghalaya

SHILLONG, March 19: Former Meghalaya Chief Minister BB Lyngdoh has said the present EK Mawlong government should act without fear in tackling insurgency, reports UNI. Terming as a group of thieves the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Lyngdoh, the Chairman of State Development Reforms Commission, categorically ruled out the idea of having any talk. He reiterated that it should not be the government business to invite a gang of criminals for discussion, who were making money through extortion and killing innocent civilians. Talking to UNI here the veteran leader, who was...

SHILLONG, March 16: Meghalaya Governor M.M. Jacob today said the government will intensify counter-insurgency operations against the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and the A'chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC). In his address to the budget session of the Assembly which began here today, Jacob lauded the Mawlong government for prevalence of communal peace in the state during the past year. He, however, regretted that the HNLC and the ANVC were continuing with their robberies, dacoities, extortions, abductions and murders in the state. Jacob said the government was in the...

SHILLONG, March 15: Meghalaya is heading towards anarchy unless sthe people decide to shun violence and oppose militancy. "After all, the strength of the militant outfits was not AK-47 but the common men," said the East Khasi Hills District Superintendent of Police, GRP Raju. That the Khasi intelligentsia is silent on the issue of activities of the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) in the Khasi Hills, should not be construed as whole hearted support of the public, contended the policeman while addressing an informal gathering at a workshop for the youth organised by The...

SHILLONG, March 2: Police made a breakthrough arresting an Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) militant who confessed that the outfit had attacked the BSF patrol party on February 22 killing two of its jawans in south Garo hills, reports UNI. Reports from Tura today said Dengkam Sangma, nabbed early this week, had said so during interrogation. He also admitted that he was involved in extorting traders in the coal belt areas of Mesighat. In another incident, police, accompanied by CRPF personnel, raided an ANVC training camp at Darengdugra in south Garo hills district yesterday and arrested...

SHILLONG, February 23: The encounter between the ULFA and Meghalaya Police in West Garo Hills district yesterday foiled the militant group's mission to loot the Helidayganj branch of the State Bank of India. The district SP, B R Rana said over phone from Tura that the ULFA boys were hiding in a village with a plan to loot the SBI branch. Six militants were killed on the spot and four others arrested in an encounter with the police at Nishanipara village, about 60 kms from Tura around 3.30 pm yesterday. Giving details of the incident, he said, acting on a tip-off, a police team rushed to the...

SHILLONG, February 20: The ongoing Census 2001 operations in Meghalaya is in jeopardy following a threat issued by the banned militant outfit Hynniewtrop National Liberation Council (HNLC) to eliminate enumerators. The HNLC, local newspapers reported on Monday, has warned that unless the Government of India came out with a clear policy to solve the long-standing political problem of the State, the Census operation sponsored by the "Colonial forces" shall be termed as an illegal activity. Publicity Secretary of the outfit M Diengdoh asked the Census enumerators not to resort to pressure tactics...

TURA, February 15: The Peoples' Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M), a militant outfit operating mainly in the Garo Hills, has decided to target all security personnel operating in the Garo Hills. The order, which was issued by the chairman of the outfit, Vincent A Sangma, will be in force for the next three months and is being done as a retaliatory step for the killing of one of its leaders by the Garo Hills police on February 8 at Nagalbibra, South Garo Hills. On that day an encounter took place in which one ultra. BR Marak was killed while collecting money from coal trucks, by the police...

SHILLONG, February 4: The BSF and the police today denied having received any complaint from the coal traders in Meghalaya that they were threatened by the banned Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) to pay Rs 5 lakh each by tomorrow or face consequences. A section of the press here reported that the ANVC ultras again had given demand notes of Rs five lakh each to the coal exporters operating at Borsora in West Khasi Hills district and warned of dire consequences if the payment was not made by tomorrow. BSF Inspector General V K Gaur told UNI that they had not received any complaint from...

SHILLONG, February 2: Talks between the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and the Meghalaya Government appears imminent with the Church leaders here taking the initiative to establish links with the militant outfit. Highly placed official sources today said that the Khasi Jaintia Church Leaders' Forum (KJCLF) has sent invitation letters to the key leaders of the HNLC asking then to come for talks on their demands. "Though the Church leaders have not been officially appointed as mediators, they have the blessings of the State Government to initiate a dialogue with the...

TURA, February 2: Thirteen A'chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) cadres officially surrendered before the Meghalaya Chief Minister, EK Mawlong at the Tura district auditorium on Tuesday evening. They were given monetary incentives during the ceremony as part of the rehabilitation package announced by the State Government for those militants coming overground. Out of these, three were in the rank of Lance Corporals while in the outfit. Those surrendered ANVC cadres present at the function are Brilinder Bart N Marak, Samuel N Sangma of South Garo Hills, Stephan A Sangma of Challang in West...