‘Provocation by police was a little too much’
SHILLONG: The ANVC breakaway faction (ANVC-B) on Wednesday asserted that the outfit had no intention to attack any policemen but the ‘provocation’ on the cadres who were already feeling insecure after the disappearances of their cadres was a ‘little too much’.
In a statement issued here, ANVC-B member Doang Shira defended his cadres saying that they were defensive and not offensive.
While alleging that this was not the first time that police had tried to enter their camp, Shira asserted that the cadres had been cautious and had taken precautions since the outfit leaders were present in the camp at that time.
The statement comes a day after two police personnel from Tura sustained bullet injuries when their team was attacked by ANVC-B militants on Tuesday afternoon during a visit to the outfit’s camp at Edenbari, on the outskirts of Tura, to enquire about missing cadres.
Stating that January 7 was the dateline for all ANVC-B cadres to report at the camp, Shira added that the camp was welcoming cadres and preparing a list of absconders when they received report of police vehicles full of SWAT and CRPF personnel parked outside the camp. Shira alleged that soon after, a black Gypsy (ML 05G 7209) which had no number plate on the rear, tried to enter the camp. Men in civil dresses occupying the vehicle claimed to be police personnel but the cadres were unsure as they were not even willing to produce any document leading the cadres to suspect that they might be from some rival outfit.
As argument ensued, the men on the vehicle brandished automatic weapons and pointed at the cadres who pointed their weapons back at them and at that point of time someone burst a firecracker nearby.
“The policemen started to flee and hurt themselves and later claimed that we had fired upon them,” Shira claimed, while alleging that the police personnel had come to kill the cadres and destroy the camp.
Shira, further, claimed that Tuesday’s incident had rendered the cadres homeless and forced them to flee to the jungle as the only ‘home’ the cadres had was burnt down and destroyed by the police personnel.
Shira also claimed that the outfit, which is under a truce with the Government, called up the Tura Superintendent of Police to clarify on the matter but the district police chief was provocative and refused to come to an understanding to diffuse the situation, “which clearly indicates that everything was pre-planned”.
“We did not plan any attack, if we had then those policemen would not have survived,” Shira stated.
“ANVC-B cadres refrained from attempting anything that could disrupt the peace in the area,” the statement asserted.
He asked the Government to take the matter with all seriousness since the cadres feel that the police action was unjustified.
“They have made us homeless; they will face the same – was the slogan the cadres vowed before deserting the camp,” Shira added.