Coal managers abducted, cadre killed, grenade lobbed
TURA: In a sudden escalation of violence in Garo Hills in the run up to the April 9 Lok Sabha polls, armed ultras opened fire on a wine store at Williamnagar, injuring one, while at Gasuapra near the India – Bangladesh border two persons were kidnapped at gun point from a coal depot late in the night.
Near Nangalbibra, a militant was killed in an exchange of fire with the police while another was captured.
The upsurge in violence before polling for the Tura Lok Sabha seat has come as a concern for the police. The Garo Hills police have accused the ANVC-B and newly formed A’chik Songna An’pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) for Wednesday’s violent incidents.
On Wednesday at 11 am two armed men in a motorcycle came up to a wine store in Williamnagar market in East Garo Hills and opened fire from pistols injuring an employee of the shop before fleeing. The worker, Sunil A Sangma (38), of Nokil Awe locality of Williamnagar, sustained a bullet injury on his right thigh and was shifted to Tura Civil Hospital.
On Tuesday evening, the same group of ultras was suspected to have hurled a grenade on another wine store near the MTC bus stand in Williamnagar. The grenade, however, failed to explode.
In the nearby district of South Garo Hills, about seven armed militants barged into a coal export company depot at lower Gasuapara, close to the international border, shortly after midnight and took away at gunpoint the manager Sankar Reang and the assistant manager Pransit Reang Two militants belonging to the A’chik National Liberation Army (ANLA) were extorting money from traders at Jadi bazaar, near Nangalbibra, at 9.30 am when they were spotted by a police team, leading to an exchange of fire.
Both the militants – Lenion K Momin alias Simpong of Nangalbibra and Sengcheng M Sangma of Resu – sustained injuries and were being taken to Williamnagar for medical treatment when Lenion died on the way.
“The attack on the wine store, shooting of a worker and lobbing of a grenade was done by ANVC-B militants because they had failed to receive extortion money. We have identified ANVC-B cadres Solid, Ampel and Dokrak who were instrumental in the attacks,” said district police chief Davis Nestell R Marak.
He also said that Dokrak is operating for ANVC-B by using the name of A’chik Tiger Force (ATF).
The South Garo Hills district police informed that the abduction of the two coal company employees was the handiwork of ASAK cadres.