By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Garo Hills is in a state of total lawlessness. After the business community, now it is the turn of people in the medical profession to be extorted. A medical doctor from East Garo Hills was recently served with an extortion notice of Rs 30 lakh.
Sources have revealed that the doctors would be going on strike and threatened not to attend to their duties as a mark of protest against the demand notes coming from GNLA leader Sohan D Shira.
But doctors are not the only victims.
The BDOs of Garo Hills particularly those serving in Songsak, Chokpot, Gasuapara, Baghmara and Dadenggre have received demand letters from GNLA.
Even schools and college teachers are not spared.
Sources informed that recently Sohan Shira demanded Rs 10 crore from the road construction company BSC-C & C (JV). The company has been served with an ultimatum to either pay up or leave. The company from Hyderabad is engaged in road construction project linking West Khasi Hills with Garo Hills.
No one has been left outside the purview of the GNLA and other militant outfits.
A source said, “Since the scope for extortion is so limited, there is a turf war by militant outfits to spread their activities and get in touch with the profitable ones such as the coal mine owners, truck operators and petty business persons and even coal mine labourers. It’s a virtual free for all and the law enforcers seem to have retreated into the safety of their barracks,” said a senior citizen who is afraid of mentioning his name, knowing well that he could be shot for speaking up.
Others have said that the GNLA’s single point agenda is to loot, extort, kidnap and kill and amass wealth before declaring a ceasefire.
Sadly, this has been the modus operandi of all militant outfits in Garo Hills.
Police have remained clueless about how to tackle this raging lawlessness. While Sohan Shira is making a kill, his area commanders are also on the same kind of extortion spree in Williamnagar, Nangalbibra, Chokpot and Resubelpara areas.
Meanwhile, UALA chief Norrok (Singbirth Sangma) is on the rampage in Nangalbibra and Bajengdoba areas. The area commander of GNLA in Songsak has kidnapped as many as 15 secretaries of Village Employment Council dealing with MGNREGA. They were released only after paying Rs 10,000 each from
the MGNREGA funds.
Recently, Home Minister Roshan Warjri toured all the districts of Garo Hills.
“This is the first time any Home Minister has visited all the five districts of Garo Hills to get feedback from the ground but there appears to be a sort of leadership vacuum in the police which is being felt across the ranks,” sources have revealed.
Many kidnappings and threats to young women and students who are being forced to join the outfits have gone unreported due to fear of reprisal.
“It seems that the leaders from Garo Hills, including Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma have abandoned us to the elements. Why can’t the Government take quick effective action against the militants? Or are they clueless about how to tackle this complete lawlessness in the Garo Hills region?” a senior citizen questioned.
