TURA: The unified peace movement for Garo hills on Wednesday appealed the government to restrain its operation against insurgents.
In an operation last week, one GNLA cadre was killed at Chokpot in South Garo Hills. General Secretary of the forum, Reverend Fr. Januarius Sangma said, “We request the government to restrain its operation against the insurgent outfits”.
The forum had met Governor K K Paul last week to discuss the deteriorating law and order situation in the region. “We are negotiating peace with the outfits, so operation against them may aggrieved the situation”, said Fr. Sangma.
The forum has submitted a memorandum to the governor urging the State to initiate peace talks with all underground outfits.
“We request the State government to invite all militant groups for talks. Peace can only be achieved through dialogue and not by hunting rebels,” said Fr Januarius. He was also of the view that militancy in the Garo hills adversely affected the common man, especially those living in rural areas.
“The GNLA has accepted the need for a peaceful settlement. We would like to urge the government to seize this opportunity and bring the outfit to the negotiating table. This will be a big step in restoring normalcy in Garo Hills,” he added.