Truth behind the BDO kidnapping
SHILLONG: In the light of the Meghalaya High Court directive to the Centre for imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Garo Hills, The Shillong Times has tried to go deeper into the situation that has led to this instant order.
Is the police force incapable of tackling the militancy problem? Have they lost complete control of the situation? Is the problem want of ammunition or of the want of a strategy?
Sources in the Garo Hills police have said that it is the kidnapping of the IB Official Bikas Singh and Chokpot BDO Jude Sangma which triggered the High Court to ask the Central Government to consider declaring Garo Hills a “disturbed area” to facilitate the operationalization of AFSPA and deployment of army.
They feel that while the High Court has accorded special attention to the kidnapping and killing of the IB official and also the kidnapping of BDO Jude Sangma, the Court should have ordered a thorough inquiry into the kidnapping cases, especially that of the Chokpot BDO.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police official disclosed that Jude Sangma, the BDO, Chokpot, had shown scant regard for the prevailing security scenario in Chokpot region. He knew very well that GNLA has a strong presence in the area. He also knew that GNLA cadres – Hadeo, Sacheng, Pekdok are very active in this part but refused security cover.
This they felt raises several questions.
“The BDO was advised by police to take personal security officers (PSOs) while travelling but he refused to do so. A quick inquiry by local police immediately after the kidnapping of Jude Sangma by Hadeo revealed that another GNLA area commander Sachen was upset with his colleague for kidnapping Sangma,” the official informed .
Sources inside GNLA informed that Sacheng, the area commander of Chokpot had “assured” this BDO that no harm would befall him (BDO) in his (Sacheng’s) area.
The police wonder whether this assurance to the BDO from Sacheng is the reason why the officer refused PSOs? Police point to a deep nexus between the bureaucracy and militants in Garo Hills.
Further enquiry by police into this kidnapping episode points to the tacit support extended to Sacheng’s men by this BDO in allocation of developmental contracts and ignoring people “close” to Hadeo.
The High Court in its order dated November 2, 2015 observed that the “brother in law” of a SP rank Officer who is looking after the security of the Court was abducted. Police sources said that though this observation was factually correct, the adverse inference drawn from this incident is erroneous and arrived at based on partial truth.
“Had the police been directed by High Court to enquire in to this incident the full truth would have come to light for a considered and holistic view,” the police sources said, adding that in Garo Hills the militant-bureaucracy nexus is deeply entrenched.
Police sources also point to the fact that bureaucrats in Garo Hills are comfortable with this nexus as militancy is an excuse to stay away from office, for not visiting developmental sites for inspection and currying favour with militants and their family members by allocating contracts for developmental schemes which are never initiated, inspected nor completed.
In the light of the above police sources claim that the High Court directive is premature and warrants a retraction.