From Our Correspondent
TURA: In what is most likely to raise public anger during the upcoming festive season, the breakaway faction of ANVC (ANVC-B) has called for a bandh in the Garo Hills region just when Christmas is round the corner.
The outfit’s commander-in-chief Mokosh Marak issued a communiqué to The Shillong Times mentioning that December 20 would be a day of closure in observance for those who fought and laid down their lives for the protection of the Garos.
Surprisingly, the outfit has failed to give a correct timing to its announcement of the bandh with the militant chief mentioning in his statement two different time figures.
At one part of the statement he claims the bandh is being called from 5 am to 5 pm while in the other paragraph he mentions a 24-hour closure.
The announcement of a closure in the middle of December and close to the Christmas festival is expected to raise a hue and cry.
No militant group from Garo Hills has ever called for a shutdown during the festive season.
Rimpu blames police :Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the ANVC chairman Rimpu Marak said that Tura bazaar grenade incident was a ‘well planned drama’.
“Tura police is trying to create fear psychosis to disturb the festive mood of the people as it was a diffused grenade which was planted by a ‘bihari’ to attract attention and instigate public against ANVC-B and GNLA,” he said.
According to him, police is trying to rebuild its image and improve public-police relationship after a recent setback where several organizations opposed and demonstrated against police atrocities in the district. “My accessibility and network is wide but my intentions are not against the people or police. Therefore I assure no harm to the common man except vague tremors once in a while”, Rimpu added. .