TURA: Meghalaya Director General of Police Peter James Pyngrope Hanaman along with parliamentary secretary for Home, Winnerson Sangma and senior police officials took part in a special salute at Baghmara for the five personnel who died in Tuesday’s ambush by GNLA militants.
The head of the State police force, DGP Hanaman, led the officers and men of the force in paying their respects to the slain personnel by placing wreaths on their coffin during the special parade at the Baghmara police reserve on Wednesday morning.
Other officers who took part in the special ‘Salami’ for the deceased included  IGP for western range H Nongpluh, IGP (Headquarters) GHP Raju, 3rd MLP Battalion Commandant Claudia Lyngwa who lost three men in the ambush, assistant commandant  (3rd Bn) Phanbhu, district SP Davis Nestell R marak, DSPs, officers and other ranks.
The civilian authorities were represented by parliamentary secretary Winnerson Sangma, deputy commissioner C Gothmare and other officers.
Later the coffins containing the remains of the five police personnel were taken in special vehicles to their respective homes in different parts of the State.
The bodies of UB constable Rakki Ch Sangma and Battalion Constable Bipul Rabha were taken to Tikrikilla for the last rites while those of Battalion constable Marshanstar Nongdhar and Fireman driver Lekichyne Ryngklem were escorted to Jowai in Jaintia Hills.
The coffin containing the body of Havildar Dondiram Marak was taken to his ancestral home at Malangkona in West Khasi Hills district.
M’laya Police condoles death of comrades
Meghalaya police on Wednesday condoled the death of five police personnel who were killed by GNLA militants in an unprecedented attack at Bangjakona near Kapasipara in the South Garo hills district on Tuesday, our Reporter adds.
Home Minister Roshan Warjri, additional DGP (CID) SK Jain besides other officials and police personnel paid their tributes to the five martyrs who sacrificed their lives while discharging their duties.
Addressing at the condolence meeting, SK Jain said that the incident is an occasion for police personnel to introspect and re-draw the strategies of police approach while dealing with militants and anti-social elements who refrain from respecting the law of the land.
“The information so far shows that it was a tight ambush at a difficult place and our boys did not have much of a chance,” Jain said while adding that police have to tackle militants in a treacherous terrain of Garo Hills.
However, the police official asked the personnel to take pride in the fact that Meghalaya police is always at the forefront in its war against militants even as he said that the Meghalaya police have not responded to any threats made by militants at any point of time.
On the other hand, the Home Minister did not speak about any action plan of the Government to tackle with militants, and instead said that it was a tragic incident.
She said that people should pray for the souls of the five bravehearts who sacrificed their lives while fighting militants.

High explosive grenade, over 200 empty shells recovered

TURA: The GNLA militants who attacked the police gypsy coming from Baghmara towards Tura is alleged to have followed the cold blooded policy of taking no prisoners with police officials maintaining that their personnel who died in the line of duty sustained bullet wounds on their heads believed to be from close range.
“All five of our men had wounds to their heads and we believe they may have been shot from close range before their weapons were taken away by the attackers,” said South Garo Hills district police chief Davis Nestell R Marak while speaking to The Shillong Times.
There have been instances in the past when Garo militants have not spared injured personnel opening fire from close range before looting their weapons.
In the late 1990s’ the vehicle of then SP of Williamnagar, GHP Raju was ambushed by suspected ANVC-NSCN militants along the Songsak-Dainadubi route and one of the injured constables was reportedly killed in cold blood by the ultras before his weapon was taken away.
In Tuesday’s incident, police have recovered more than two hundred empty cartridges from the site of the ambush highlighting the ferocity with which the militants opened fire on the unsuspecting policemen who were travelling in a lone police gypsy on national highway 62 connecting Baghmara with the rest of Garo Hills.
The empty shells along with AK rounds included 7.62 SLR rounds which are also used in sniper rifles. The attackers also took away 200 live rounds of ammunition from the slain personnel besides three AK rifles and a carbine machine gun.
One of the high explosive grenades, HE 36, which was lobbed by the militants onto the vehicle during the ambush and which had failed to explode was found by the police and later detonated safely.