NONGSTOIN/SHILLONG: The West Khasi Hills Police is determined to ensure peace in Shallang, West Khasi Hills after the businessman Dharambir Bansal Dharmu was shot at allegedly by the HNLC on Wednesday.
The HNLC has already claimed responsibility for the incident.
The Shallang residents have been living in peace after the GNLA was neutralised besides controlling violence and crime in the area for almost 5-6 years.
But the recent incidents have shattered relative peace in the area prompting the police to keep vigil.
Governor Tathagata Roy in a tweet wanted to know whether the notorious ‘Rangdari Tax’ of Jharkhand coal belt is coming to Meghalaya.
“The banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) demands ‘Income Tax’ from traders or “face the consequences”. No soft or persuasive approach will work now. A merciless crackdown is called for”, the governor said.
The police said those who are responsible will face the law.
Regarding the statement that all the traders and businessmen will have to pay to the HNLC, the police said they will investigate into the matter and if anyone is involved in financing and helping the banned outfit, they will be brought to book. According to the police, there are many dacoit groups which are involved in extortion cases and robbery in Shallang and it is not done only by one group as claimed by HNLC because till date the police are on the hunt to get the miscreants who attacked the businessman.
A police official said HNLC sometime appears like a volcano and the claim might be true but sometimes it cannot be true.
“The group may have convinced or misled some innocent youth of the area to create chaos not only to terrorise the businessmen of the area but also to scare the locals in Shallang area.
However, the police have assured that those culprits will soon be arrested as an operation will be carried out to restore normalcy.
The police officials said that during the attack on Bansal, there were no security personnel and an inquiry will be initiated to ascertain the reason.
The police have assured protection to the trader by stating that the HNLC made Dharmu popular due to recent threats by the outfit.
“The security is meant not only for him but for others who had received similar threats”, the police said, while assuring all the local businessmen and the villagers of Shallang not to live in fear but to cooperate with the police to eradicate crime and violence.
