SHILLONG: The Chokpot horror has made it to the national news. But what many fail to enquire into is the connection that the politicians have with these militia and the stunning silence from those who have used these groups to win elections.
Intelligence sources claim that Deborah Marak won the election by making a pact with GNLA military commander Sohan D Shira. That is why GNLA tried to eliminate Jonathan Sangma. The Garo National Council (GNC) MLA Clifford Marak won from Chokpot with GNLA support. Today he is a silent spectator of all the horrific incidents in his constituency.
However, political observers in Garo Hills say that without the active support of politicians none of the militant groups would have been able to survive. “Politicians from all parties are good at paying lip service when a tragedy befalls the ordinary citizen who has become an easy target for militants from one or the other group but forget that they have cultivated these militias,” a senior citizen from Garo Hills observed.