Incredulity on police performance despite anti-GNLA operations
From Our Correspondent
TURA: The dismal performance of Garo Hills police, particularly that of West Garo Hills district, in dealing with the activities of GNLA militants has cast doubts in the minds of the general public in the wake of the death of an innocent child who sustained splinter injuries from a grenade explosion perpetrated by the militant outfit.
GNLA militants seeking retaliation for the death of their ‘action commander’ Jeany Ch Momin, who was gunned down along with three other cadres by SWAT commandos of East Garo Hills police near Mendipather on Thursday morning, went all out targeting a minority village in West Garo Hills and a coal export company at Gasuapara in South Garo Hills.
A group of militants entered Lokiachar village, near Kalaichar in Boldamgre area of Ampati Civil Sub-Division, at 8:15 pm and lobbed two grenades on the houses. The explosion injured eight-year-old Piyara Begum who was rushed to Tura Civil Hospital but died of her injuries on Good Friday evening.
That same night another group of GNLA militants suspected to be led by ‘southern commander’ Baichung Momin from Chokpot region entered Gasuapara border region and kidnapped six persons from a coal export company near the international border.
The militants daringly walked off with the six kidnapped victims even though a BSF checkpost is just 50 meters away from the coal depot.
The victims include the export manager Biswajit Majumdar, accountant Asish Jaiswal, and four workers Birendra Yadav, Mahinder Yadav, Chandreswar Ray and Rohit Sharma. The workers belonged to the export company run by one Hening Marak of Rongsa Awe in Nangalbibra.
Police have launched combing operations in Chokpot region as intelligence reports have indicated that the militants did not cross the international border but had entered the remote jungles on the foothills of Nokrek national park region.
The security scenario in Garo Hills is being discussed at a high-level meeting of top officials of all security forces deployed in Garo Hills including the BSF and the CRPF.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Parvin Bakshi called for the meeting in the wake of the killing of the minor by the militants.
It is worth mentioning that success rate has been literally nil in the district as far as operations against militancy have been concerned.
“West Garo Hills has the largest number of security forces and local officers and is also the most covered district in comparison to East and South Garo Hills where despite security forces deployment being very thin success has been commendable,” informed an intelligence official.
The abduction of the Dadenggre BDO PK Boro, last year, kidnap of two MeECL engineers in January this year, and the attack on village markets and abduction of petty traders are some of the incidents that ended with the release of the captives by the militants without police succeeding in making any breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the district administration of West Garo Hills on Saturday handed over a cheque of Rs one lakh to the father of the victim of the grenade attack.
The cheque was handed over by Zenith Sangma Co- Chairman of the State Planning Board to the deceased child’s father Md Motleb Shaikh at the Tura Civil Hospital in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi and others.
The amount has been sanctioned as contingency ex gratia relief from the district administration pending final release from the government as per the guidelines for ex gratia for the next of kin of persons killed in extremist attacks.