Chekan and Sohan behind BDO abduction: IGP
From Our Correspondent
TURA: Suspected Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants on Monday kidnapped a government official and two non-tribal businessmen in West Garo Hills district.
In one of the most audacious moves by the GNLA, its militants abducted the BDO of Dadenggre from his office chamber on Monday afternoon and in the process punctured holes into the security apparatus of the State.
The BDO of Dadenggre and Meghalaya Civil Service (MCS) officer PK Boro was abducted from his office at gun point.
The GNLA militants put the officer in the back seat of his personal WagonR car (ML04-2234). One of the militants kept guard while the other got behind the steering wheel. A third member of the outfit who was keeping guard at the gate of the office soon joined them.
Before driving away with the BDO the militants fired three rounds in the air to scare off onlookers.
The abduction comes just hours after a five-member gang of suspected GNLA militants kidnapped two traders from Assam who had gone to Kalchengpara weekly market, 4 kms from Selsella, to sell their wares.
The whereabouts of Dulal Modak and Rokybul Haque, both hailing from Singimari town, are not known. They were last seen being taken towards the jungle path that leads to Dadenggre region.
In the meantime, villagers spotted the Dadenggre BDO’s vehicle abandoned near Amindagokgre village, 5 kms from Dadenggre on the road towards Rongram and Tura.
Meghalaya Inspector General of Police (IGP) G H P Raju said the prime suspects in the abduction of BDO P K Boro were the GNLA army chief Sohan D Shira and his area commander Chekan P Marak.
“There is no denying the fact that Chekan carried out the abduction on the orders of Sohan Shira,” Raju told The Shillong Times.
Chekan P Marak alias Haider is the area commander of Dadenggre region for the GNLA outfit.
The IGP said the militant leader is desperate to raise the financial fortunes of the outfit which is why petty traders are not even being spared.
He also came down heavily on the claims of GNLA chief Champion Sangma’s so called fight for development and the rights of the Garos.”The GNLA says they picked up arms because of the lack of development. But here we have an honest officer like P K Boro doing so much for development of Dadenggre and they go and abduct him. Is this development?” questioned an angry IGP Raju.
It is worth mentioning that the BDO, P K Boro, has been commended for his dedicated work by senior government officials and the several thousand villagers who vouch for his dedication and sincerity in ensuring NREGS works are completed on time and payment made to the villagers for their work.
A no nonsense officer, he refused to pay up to the GNLA when they demanded money from him last year. The GNLA militants had slapped demand notices on all BDOs of Garo Hills, including P K Boro.
“Boro is one of the most sincere and honest MCS officers of the 2000 batch. He refused to pay any money simply because the funds did not belong to him but to the people for the developmental works,” Raju said.
400 police and central paramilitary force personnel engaged in rescue Ops: The Meghalaya police has launched one of its largest manhunt operations in the district by pressing into service 400 police and central paramilitary force personnel into the jungles of Dadenggre and Tikrikilla to rescue abducted BDO and MCS officer P K Boro. Police commandos from the Special Weapons and Tactics team (SWAT) along with the CRPF’s CoBRA special units are combing the jungles of Dadenggre while police from Tikrikilla and Selsella seal all possible routes towards their region to try and stop the militants from taking the abducted officer away.