By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A day after the GNLA threatened to trigger serial blasts in the State if operations against the outfit are not ceased, the State Government on Monday made it clear that combing operations against the militants would continue.
The Government, however, has not taken the GNLA threat lightly and adopted precautionary measures to thwart any such attempt by the State’s most active militant outfit.
Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh reviewed the State’s security scenario with senior police officials before leaving for New Delhi on Monday.
“If we withdraw the operations against GNLA it will be a threat to the security of the people,” Lyngdoh told reporters after the meeting.
The GNLA on Monday threatened to unleash a wave of mayhem by targeting civilian areas with blasts unless the Government withdrew its operations against the group.
The outfit had even mentioned Iewduh (Bara Bazar), Police Bazar and markets in the three districts of Garo Hills as possible targets.
The Home Minister said police deployment would now be intensified in Iewduh and Police Bazar areas to ensure that no ill plans of GNLA becomes a reality.
“Necessary arrangements have been made and people should not panic,” Lyngdoh said.
The minister, however, said the outfit might have issued the threat call out of fear of being caught or eliminated due to the ongoing anti-insurgency operations in Garo Hills.
“They are applying these tactics to create fear psychosis in the minds of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, police are trying to verify the identity of caller who rang up media houses on Sunday claiming himself to be the GNLA “commander-in-chief” Sohan D Shira.
There was, however, no further statement from the GNLA after the threat “to trigger serial blasts” was widely reported by the State media on Monday.