Josbina murder
TURA: It was on a warm humid evening of June 3rd, last year, that the four young children of Josbina Sangma saw their mother alive for the last time before armed GNLA rebels forced her to sit on a plastic chair outside her thatched home and opened fire blowing her head off in one of the most heinous and cold blooded murder ever to take place on a woman in matrilineal Meghalaya.
Josbina was killed because the banned GNLA outfit, which held sway to vast tracts of Chokpot region in South Garo Hills, accused her of collaborating with police and wanted to send a message of fear against persons whom they felt were detrimental to their cause.
Though she was not the first victim of the militants’ cold blooded murder, yet her killing was perhaps the first to spark a national outrage making it even to the international headlines about how precious life could be snuffed out in an instant from the trigger of a gun in violence-hit Meghalaya.
The man who ordered the execution of Josbina, GNLA chief Sohan D Shira, remains embedded inside his military stronghold somewhere in the dense forests of Garo Hills. His key lieutenant Kiljang Sangma alias Jangjang who was tasked with the contract of killing their suspect has been killed in the same manner he lived- a bullet from the barrel of a gun.
Garo Hills police are now in pursuit of the militant who pulled the trigger on that fateful day depriving four young children of their mother.
GNLA militant Tengton Sangma has been accused by police of being the trigger happy cadre who opened fire on Josbina as she sat on a chair trying to prove her innocence. Since his name surfaced in the murder the GNLA hierarchy has moved him out from Chokpot region to shake off the police pursuit.
According to police sources, he was last spotted operating in the North Garo Hills region while his former commander Jangjang was moved out to East Garo Hills to take charge of the command until he met his fate on Tuesday morning.
The reason for the murder of Josbina remains unverified with police stating that she had no connection with them while the militants continue to insist that she played a key part in providing details to security forces about their movement.
A month before her murder, SWAT commandos of the state police raided a GNLA hideout in the Daji Badimagre-Boldakgre village in which they shot dead GNLA training instructor Kram D Sangma and recovered an AK rifle, a pistol, IED explosives wireless handsets and ammunition.
The deceased GNLA trainer was a high profile member of the outfit imparting training to cadres. He was also known to be close to their chief Sohan D Shira having hailed from Dawagre village of Williamnagar.
Angered over the loss of their senior trainer, GNLA militants returned to the area three weeks later and dragged out from a house former militant, Sengran Marak, who was tending to his ailing young son. Accusing him of being a police informer they executed him in cold blood despite his ailing son and wife asking them to spare his life.
When Josbina was killed in cold blood the area commander Jangjang had claimed responsibility for the murder in an open letter to the media which was soon after denied by the high command of the outfit as widespread condemnation began to flow in from all sections of society throughout the country.
It was only five months later, in November 2014, that GNLA chief Sohan D Shira acknowledged giving the order for the murder of the woman.
With Meghalaya police releasing photos and names of top GNLA leaders wanted for criminal acts and even announcing cash rewards of ten lakhs for information on each one of the revealed GNLA leaders, Sohan D Shira replied with a warning and a counter reward of Rs 15 lakh for information on police.
“Whosoever dares to inform as directed by the government out of greed, their fate will be the same as that of Josbina Sangma of Chokpot who had dared to be a police informer leading to the arrest and killing of our armies,” Sohan Shira had announced to the media at that point of time acknowledging that the decision to kill the mother of four was taken at the highest level of the organization.
Now, justice has been delivered against one of the key members involved in the murder of Josbina, but at what cost? The four young children remain as before – without their mother. Only a small part of what was done wrong to them has been made right. The good days spent in the company of their mother will never return, only fond memories will prevail.