SHILLONG: A shocking video of Garo militants caning some innocent villagers has taken online media by storm.
In the eight-minute video, the GNLA militants are seen resorting to a brutal caning at some suspected police informers as a mechanism to deter others from providing information to police.
The matter came to light after police recovered a mobile phone from the possession of one of the cadres of the outlawed GNLA who was gunned down by police in an encounter earlier this week
The video was recorded on September 4 and GNLA militant Bestfield N Marak, who was killed in police encounter on September 10 at Pakregre village, is also seen in the video.
IGP Administration GHP Raju said that the video was recovered from the mobile of the slain GNLA militant.
The video clip has exposed the brutality of the militants as it showed several villagers suspected to be police informers being thrashed brutally by a group of GNLA cadres, including Bawang, the area commander, and Bestfield N Marak, who seemed to have gone to the village to create havoc there, he said.
It may be mentioned that Bawang’s real name is Chekan N Marak and he is originally from Pakragre village.
Police suspected that the militants had resorted to caning at innocent villagers to ensure that they have a safe place to hide from the police, engaged in the combing operations.
Counter Insurgency Operation ‘Hill Storm’ launched in the first week of July is yielding results with at least 11-12 camps of the GNLA busted, Raju said. In the operation which would continue for another month or two, 25 militants belonging to GNLA, ULFA, ASAK, and other militant groups were arrested from various hideouts and several sophisticated arms recovered.
Earlier in June this year, a group of GNLA cadres had gone to a village in South Garo Hills and killed 35-year-old Josbina Marak merely on suspicion that she was a police informer.
