Top GNLA militant surrenders with arms

From Our Correspondent

TURA: A senior Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militant who was recruited at the nascent start of the outfit has surrendered with arms before Williamnagar Police in East Garo Hills on Saturday afternoon.

The militant, Andreash Ch Momin alias Nangnang hailed from Bolkingre village, 2 kms from Williamnagar town and site of Tuesday’s encounter in which four other militants were killed.

He surrendered before District Superintendent of Police JFK Marak with a powerful AK-56 rifle and three magazines containing 125 live ammunition rounds and one Chinese hand grenade.

The surrendered militant belonged to the southern area command of the GNLA and was under the direct operational command of area commander Baichung Momin.

At the time of his surrender, Nangnang said that he was unable to cope with the difficulties faced by being on the run.

He mentioned that the militants changed their camps almost every day and arrangement for meals was very difficult. Being repeatedly on the run compelled him to give up to the authorities, Nangnang said.

The militant belonged to the second senior most batch of the GNLA.

According to him, it was GNLA ‘chairman’ Champion R Sangma who personally supervised the training of his batch numbering 45 cadres in the year 2009. The first batch comprised of 18 militants.

Champion is believed to have trained his group on similar guerilla tactics with that of the SOT commandos of Meghalaya Police teaching them how to avoid detection, attack and defense, and survival in the jungle.