By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Militants belonging to Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) have been able to set up bases inside some forest areas in Garo Hills posing threat to forest staff.
A state forest department official here informed that the GNLA militants were operating from deep inside Durama hill range making forest staff apprehensive given that militants had abducted forest officials in the past. The official did not rule out the possibility of militants operating from even Balpakram National Park as the location of the park which is close to Bangladesh border, is advantageous to the ultras.
Earlier, another militant group A’chik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) too had been operating from inside the Park.
Forest officials used to be harassed by militants in the past. It may be recalled that in the year 2004, suspected ANVC militants had abducted forest official, D. Satyan from his residence at Baghmara in the South Garo Hills district only to be released unharmed few days later.
The forest official further informed that militants might have become active in certain stretches of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve taking advantage of the thick forest cover in the area.
The state Forest and Environment Department decided to recall all arms from its various offices located in certain vulnerable areas in Garo Hills following the recent incident in which GNLA militants had stormed East Garo Hills district Range forest office and decamped with seven rifles.
