GNLA attacks police camp, no casualties
TURA: In a daring move suspected GNLA militants targeted a remote police outpost in Dobu area of East Garo Hills district shortly after midnight of Tuesday opening indiscriminate fire even as the alert policemen retaliated forcing the ultras to flee after a firefight that lasted for close to 30 minutes.
The plan by the GNLA to try and overrun the Dobu police outpost and take away the weapons armory was met with stiff resistance by the platoon of police personnel deployed in the camp.
“Between 10 and 12 suspected GNLA militants came from the Dobu school compound located a distance behind our outpost and started firing approximately at 12:30 am,” informed police officials from the district.
The militants opened fire from small arms including AK rifles towards the police camp but failed to hit their target.
Prime accused in the attack on Dobu is the group headed by GNLA area commander of West Khasi Hills Savio Marak. A former police constable who defected to the militant group in February, this year, Savio Marak, may have had knowledge about the police camp and made the abortive attempt to attack it with a large force.
Eversince the GNLA surfaced in Garo Hills all vulnerable police stations and outposts have been strengthened with additional men and firepower. There were as many as 22 fully armed police personnel inside Dobu when the midnight attack began.
Even as the attack was taking place on Tuesday night a red alert was sounded throughout the district as police personnel in police stations and outposts beefed up security and got into battle mode prepared to retaliate against any incursion by the ultras.
Dobu is located approximately 30 kms from the district headquarters of Williamnagar in East Garo Hills on the road towards Dainadubi.
It is a lucrative coal extraction joint connected to National Highway 62 and overlooking the border with West Khasi Hills. Several hundred coal trucks carry coal from Dobu for export to Assam every day.
Since the days of militancy, Dobu has been a prime target for extortion from coal barons. It is also a major crossing point for ultras towards West Khasi Hills and Assam.
Coincidently, this is the second target on police camps by GNLA militants in recent months. In February, a similar group of GNLA militants fired upon another anti-dacoity camp of the police located at Garegittim area of South Garo Hills which not far from Dobu.
There were no casualties in that attack too which took place during the late hours of the night.
Surprisingly, Songsak police station and Dobu outpost are two security establishments that allegedly did not have the standard procedure of set up. Unlike other police stations that were set up on hill tops or alleviated ground dominating the entire area, these two camps are on parallel ground with the road.