SHILLONG: A Gramsevak in Williamanagar became mentally ill after he received an extortion note for Rs 15 lakh from a new-formed militant group and another showed signs of depression, while the third Gramsevak became addicted to alcohol.
An official from East Garo Hills while confirming these developments on Tuesday said that the newly-formed Achik National Liberation Central Army dropped an extortion note of Rs 15 lakh each at the residences of the Gramsevaks in Williamnagar through the villagers last week setting a deadline of November 17 .
The official, who did not want to disclose the names of the Gramsevaks said that it was on Monday that one of the Gramsevaks showed signs of mental imbalance and ran amok which compelled the family members to admit him in Tura Civil Hospital.
The Gramsevak did not inform anyone about the extortion note, but when he showed the signs of imbalance, the family members found out the matter.
The militant group in the extortion notes had also warned the Gramsevaks that if the money was not paid by them, they will face the consequences. Another Gramsevak, who suffered depression after receiving extortion note, was rushed to Tura a few days ago and remained there not willing to come back.
“These are not unbelievable stories. There is another Gramsevak who turned to consumption of alcohol to escape from the tension due to the exorbitant money demanded by the militant group”, the official said.
The official added that in the past, GNLA used to send extortion notes ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 to the Gramsevaks, but what aggravated the current situation is that the new militant group demanded Rs 15 lakh from them, which made them helpless and moreover, they had not shared the information either with police or with the district administration.