Centre rushes 1000 para-military personnel
New Delhi: Taking a tough stand against the worsening law and order situation in the Garo Hills, culminating in the shocking murder of a tribal woman by militants, the new BJP-led government at the Centre on Wednesday rushed 1,000 Central para-military force personnel to Meghalaya and also sought a report from the State Government.
In a clear message to the Congress- led government in Meghalaya, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju spoke to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and urged him to take strong action against the militants for the heinous crime. “I have spoken to the Chief Minister and have asked to identify the culprits and ensure that strict punishment is given to them,” he told reporters.
Rijiju condemned the violent activities in the Garo Hills and said he would personally visit the affected areas. Expressing serious concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the Garo hills, he said the Centre would look into the situation and act accordingly.
The assurance of a visit was given to former Union Minister Agatha Sangma and former Meghalaya Finance Minister Conrad Sangma who called on him in Delhi during the day as part of an NPP delegation. The delegates urged the Union minister to visit the Garo Hills and assess the situation himself and take proper measures based on ground realities.
Rijiju said five companies of BSF and five companies of CRPF had been sent to Meghalaya at the request of the State Chief Minister to assist the State Government in maintaining law and order. Each company of paramilitary forces comprises around 100 personnel.
The feeling is, however, that under the rule of the Mukul Sangma government the situation in the Garo Hills has been allowed to deteriorate in the past two years. Opposition parties like UDP and BJP had often in the past criticized the State Government for not taking adequate steps to control the Garo Hills situation. More than a dozen militant groups are operating in the Garo Hills with impunity, engaging in extortions, kidnappings and killings.
NPP leader and Tura MP Purno Sangma had already met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about the state of affairs in the Garo Hills. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, Purno said that the law and order situation in the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya had gone completely out of control of the State Government. “Extortions and assaults have become the order of the day with militants roaming freely on the streets,” he said.
The NPP stated that the State Government had failed miserably and the law and order situation was going from bad to worse. It also highlighted the two cases of custodial death that took place in the past few weeks in Garo Hills and requested Rijiju to take steps so that those responsible for this be brought to book.
In a memorandum to the Union Minister, the NPP leaders said that the past few years had seen a number of militant outfits emerge in Garo Hills, which was on an ever increasing trend. Nearly 100 persons had lost their lives in just two years in the violent incidents in the Garo hill areas, it said.
Giving details the young leaders said that the State Government was not being able to control the situation and is looking completely helpless. With the number of militant groups increasing day by day, there is complete lawlessness in the Garo Hills and the public at large is suffering, “they said in a memorandum.
“On the other hand state administration and police are arresting, harassing and torturing sometimes innocent people in the name of containing violence. There are as many as two custodial deaths in recent times and the state Government has failed to take any action,” they said.
“We are confident that being from the region you will understand the gravity of the situation and will take up the matter with utmost priority,” the NPP leaders told the Union Minister. (With inputs from PTI)