TURA: The ANVC-B outfit, which is under the scanner of security forces for their alleged involvement in the attack on a BSF outpost in South West Khasi Hills region, claims to have orchestrated an attack on a hideout of its rivals in a remote region of Garo Hills injuring three militants.
The ANVC-B issued a press statement claiming that its cadres attacked a joint GNLA-ULFA camp at Rongmil Chiring in South Garo Hills district on Wednesday afternoon in which three cadres of the rival group sustained injuries.
“Out of ten, five cadres were at the camp of whom three are seriously injured. Other five moved towards Gandigre village earlier that morning to kill at least one civilian and create chaos and distraction to the ongoing operation,” claimed the ANVC-B through an email believed to be sent by its chairman Rimpu Marak.
The email did not reveal the names of the injured cadres and their whereabouts.
“We have not heard of any such attack but we will verify the claims,” said South Garo Hills district police chief Davis Nestell R Marak to The Shillong Times.
However, other police officials supervising counter-insurgency operations in Garo Hills have cast serious doubts on the authenticity of the ‘attack’.
“The ANVC-B is known for its rhetoric and it is their way of trying to shake off the attention from the killing of two BSF personnel through a series of statements,” said a high ranking police official from Garo Hills.
It is also not being ruled out that internal squabbles within the GNLA may have come to the fore resulting in some form of a fratricidal killing within the group itself and word had gotten out to others.
The ANVC-B has blamed the GNLA for the attack on BSF and claimed that two Insas rifles stolen from the slain BSF personnel were in the possession of GNLA militants who had left camp earlier in the morning.
“GNLA, instead of buying weapons they are out to procure weapons by attacking the armed forces. Their sole intention is to unleash a reign of terror in Garo Hills and parts of Khasi Hills,” accused the rival outfit even as it maintained a stoic silence on its alleged involvement in the BSF killings.
The group has also cautioned the banned GNLA from playing host to armed outfits from neighbouring state of Assam, particularly the NDFB and the ULFA.