Police suspect GNLA (F) involvement
TURA: South Garo Hills police are investigating the sequence of events that unfolded last Friday night in which militants fired and damaged an education officer’s car and also reportedly targeted the South Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Chinmoy P Gotmare’s official vehicle.
Preliminary investigation has indicated involvement of the GNLA-Faction (GNLA-F) led by former finance secretary Redding T Sangma.
“We believe the attack was the handiwork of GNLA-F but they have been trying to disguise their identity using another outfit’s name,” informed district police chief Davis Nestell Marak.
According to police, Matcha Nokpante, 7 kms from Baghmara, where the attack took place is an area used by the GNLA-F frequently.
“A lot of inputs have come in since the beginning of the investigation and we are building up a case,” said the police chief.
The GNLA-F led by Redding T Sangma is believed to be ‘independent’ of Sohan D Shira’s main outfit but continues to maintain cordial relationships.
Redding broke away from the GNLA to form his faction (GNLA-F) after he was removed from the post of finance secretary over irregularities and demoted to the rank of grievances secretary.
He is said to have around six to eight cadres with sophisticated AK weapons and depend extensively on over ground workers to conduct operations.
Since Redding happened to be one of the founding members of GNLA, Sohan is said to be wary of taking action against him over fear that it could spark a rebellion within the ranks The GNLA-F is also reported to have a handful of pistols and hand grenades in its arsenal.
Baghmara DC was travelling without second PSO: South Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Chinmoy P Gotmare was returning to Baghmara town from a trip to Shillong without the presence of his second security officer when he came across the highway extortion being conducted by armed militants at Matcha Nokpante on Friday night.
According to police, the Deputy Commissioner had been provided with two armed PSOs, each carrying an automatic Insas rifle, but on the night of the incident he had just one security personnel besides his driver.
When a confirmation was sought by The Shillong Times, District police chief Davis Nestell R Marak acknowledged that it was true that two armed PSOs had been deputed for the security of the DC round the clock.
“Yes it’s true that two armed officers are deployed for his security 24 hours a day,” he said but did not elaborate on the reasons as to why the district head failed to take along his other armed guard during his journey.
Highlighting the sequence of events that took place on Friday night the police chief cleared the air on the controversial incident.
He said that militants, possibly from the GNLA-F, were extorting money from a line of coal trucks when a district education officer, ED Sangma, came on the scene.
The education officer reportedly came out of his vehicle and marched up front wanting to know the reason for the traffic snarl.
He was reportedly pushed down to the ground by one of the gun wielding militants who also fired at the windshield of his Maruti car damaging it.
“I received a call from the Deputy Commissioner who informed me that he was in a traffic jam outside Baghmara and had heard gun shots. Coal truck drivers also informed him of a similar report and we immediately rushed our police teams to the spot,” revealed the police chief.
The DC was returning from a trip to Shillong and had stopped over at Gasuapara earlier.
Reports in the media about him taking a non-existent road from Shillong via Mahadeo and Rongara to reach Baghmara have been dismissed by the district SP.
He said that it took close to 45 minutes for the police team to negotiate their way through the jammed route to reach the location by which time the deputy commissioner had also tried to advance forward only to reverse after some militants noticed their movement and fired in the air.
“There was no firing on the DC’s vehicle,” confirmed the police chief.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised as to why the lone security officer who was with the DC at the time of the incident and armed with an Insas rifle failed to open fire when militants are reported to have targeted their vehicle.