State Govt serves ultimatum to GNLA
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Toughening its stand, the State government on Tuesday served a week’s ultimatum to the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to surrender with arms before the government or else ‘force’ would be used against them.
The ultimatum was served following police reports that a large number of youngsters were presently at the camp of the GNLA apart from few armed militants, the Director General of Police N Ramachandran said.
“We want the inmates of the various camps of the GNLA to surrender within seven days with all their weapons with the concerned authorities. If they fail to so, the police would be forced to attack and destroy these camps,” the DGP said in a statement.
Maintaining that with the GNLA is armed with sophisticated weapons, Ramachandran said that the police would be compelled to use lethal weapons against the militant outfit.
“We have been exercising utmost restraint while carrying out operations against the GNLA militants to avoid collateral damage and civilian casualties,” DGP said.
In the name of welfare of the Garo people, he said that the GNLA militants have been perpetrating violence and resorting to barbaric killings of innocent citizens and also involve in kidnappings for ransom and extortion of money.
“At the cost of the common citizens of the State, the GNLA leaders have been looking after their own welfare, enriching themselves, making personal investments and stashing away huge amounts of money in neighboring countries,” Ramachandran said.
He however informed that the police have information about certain ‘respectable’ citizens who are engaged in collecting money on behalf of the militants as agents and middlemen who have also enriched themselves in the process.
“We are taking action for the prosecution of the people who are working for the outfit,” DGP said. Ramachandran regretted that the militant group has been recruiting innocent teenagers who are unable to make their own informed decisions.
The DGP also urged citizens to keep away from the militant camps and avoid giving support to GNLA by way of rations, medical assistance, mobile phones etc to avoid arrest and prosecution. “As the GNLA has been declared as a terrorist outfit, assisting and aiding a terrorist organisation is a serious offence under the same law,” he added.
The GNLA was declared as a terrorist organisation in January this year by the Centre.
