SHILLONG: The law and order situation in Garo Hills region was yet again a cause of concern for the State Government in a year that saw a number of killings and abductions including those of government officials.
While Khasi Hills remained largely peaceful, Garo Hills continued to witness unrest for most part of 2015.
Peace agreements, surrenders
However, signing of the ‘Text of Agreement’ between the State Government and Garo rebel outfit United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) and surrendering of the Achik Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF) chairman Sangjan N Arengh and commander-in-chief, Timudh T Marak before the Director General of Police (DGP) came as good news towards the end of the year.
It may be mentioned that the AMEF is a breakaway faction of the proscribed GNLA.
Despite these late developments the year was a tormenting one when it came to the overall law and order situation in Garo Hills.
One of the incidents that is still fresh in the memory is the kidnapping of a teacher of Tura Christian Girls Higher Secondary School from neighbouring Assam’s Mancachar town. The miscreants demanded Rs 5 crore for his release.
GNLA warns of serial blasts
As police operations intensified against the militants in Garo Hills, dreaded outfit GNLA warned of carrying out serial blasts in the area, especially in Ampati, the constituency of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, if operations were not stopped.
The GNLA also ambushed vehicles of security forces in parts of Garo Hills resulting in death and injury to the “men in uniform”.
Cops killed
In one of the incidents in October, two unarmed police personnel on a motorcycle heading towards Williamnagar from their anti-militancy camp across the Simsang River were ambushed by suspected GNLA militants who opened indiscriminate fire from close range killing both of them. The victims, battalion constables Kundan Dalu and Helpingstone Nongkseh, were on their way from their camp at nearby Bolkingre village to Williamnagar to purchase ration.
Counter insurgency ops
Meanwhile, in the counter insurgency operations, police also got some success when top militant leader of the Achik Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF) was killed in a heavy gun battle with security forces in a remote North Garo Hills village. The commander-in-chief AMEF, Jack Marak, was shot dead in an encounter with police in Kharkutta area.
The security forces achieved a major success when former police deserter Savio Ch Marak, who rose in the ranks of the GNLA to be put in charge of the publicity wing of the banned outfit, was shot dead in an exchange of fire with SWAT commandos of Meghalaya Police at Rengregre village of the Durama Hill range across Simsang River.
In one of the biggest blows to the GNLA in recent times, East Garo Hills Police commandos also shot dead the chief of the banned organization’s so called ‘action group’ during a morning encounter in the forests of Durama Hills. SWAT commandos of the state police exchanged fire with a group of heavily armed GNLA rebels led by the outfit’s ‘action group’ commander Kennedy T Sangma alias Hebel who was shot dead during the encounter.
This year, nine persons, including three women, also sustained injuries when suspected Garo militants triggered a blast outside a major hardware store in the heart of Tura town sending people scurrying for cover.
Meanwhile, with the help of Assam Police, Meghalaya Police also succeed in neutralizing the Garo Hills-based militant outfit LAEF by arresting its chairman and general secretary, while three of its cadres surrendered. After the North Garo Hills district police obtained the custody of one Kelwin Sangma and two NLFT cadres from Guwahati police on October 22, interrogations revealed that Kelwin was the chairman of LAEF. On his leading, one Sengman D Momin alias Walma, the general Secretary of LAEF was arrested the next day from Paharkata Agia.
Businessmen kidnapped
This year, several businessmen from Assam who visited Garo Hills for business transactions were also abducted and at times killed by militants. GNLA militants shot dead an abductee in Waribokgre area of Jengjal in West Garo Hills. The body of 53-year-old Abdul Latif, a resident of Dayachar village in South Salmara of Assam’s Dhubri district, was recovered from the banks of the Ringi river, in Waribokgre village.
Intelligence official abducted
In addition, a central intelligence official Bikash Kumar Singh and cloth merchant Kamal Saha were also abducted and killed by ASAK militants and their bodies were recovered from a grave outside of Bolchugre village in Dambuk Aga area. The killing of the two unarmed men was most chilling as the cold blooded murderers reportedly bludgeoned them from behind with a sharp weapon as was evident from the injury marks on the back of their heads.
This year, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of militancy-affected Chokpot region in South Garo Hills District was also abducted by GNLA militants near Deku. The 2010 Meghalaya Civil Service batch officer, Jude Rangku T Sangma, left Chokpot block office en route to Tura and had stopped over for a funeral service of a relative in Deku Deganggre village, 25 km from Chokpot town when he was abducted. Later, the block development officer was released at Allagre village near Chokpot in South Garo Hills.
The abduction of the BDO forced the High Court of Meghalaya to ask the Central Government to consider imposition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Garo Hills.
Havildar kidnapped, killed
However, the most dreaded kidnapping took place when GNLA militants abducted 6th MLP Battalion head constable (havildar) Khomraj Bhattarai, while he was on his way to Songsak , his place of posting, in a public transport vehicle at Tapa Darengchi area, approximately 16 kms from Mendipather. One civilian was also abducted and later he was released but Bhattarai was killed and after a month, his decomposed body was found buried in a shallow grave in Tapa Darengchi area.
This year, two civilians were also shot dead by army personnel in Rajasimla area in a case of mistaken identity. Rajasimla school teacher Alphius M Momin (35) and Sweetbirth D Marak (30), a vendor who sold P form challans at Dainadubi check gate, were travelling on a motorcycle at around 8:40 pm when they were shot dead by army personnel who were out on patrol in the area. The incident took place near Konchikol, 2 km from Kharkutta Bazar, where the army personnel from the Gurkha Regiment, deployed at Rangjuli town in neighbouring Assam, had reportedly been conducting an operation inside North Garo Hills to flush out suspected Garo militants.
SI Marbaniang’s alleged suicide
Meanwhile, the year 2015 also witnessed the sensational alleged suicide of Sub Inspector PJ Marbaniang.
Marbaniang’s body was found with bullet wounds on his head on the night of January 24 less than 24 hours after he had detained 32 coal-laden trucks which were illegally transporting coal at Patharkhma.
Later, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP (City) Vivek Syiem reached the conclusion that pressure was exerted on Marbaniang after he detained 32 coal-laden trucks in Patharkhmah. The SIT also arrested five persons including a Block Development Officer and members of the FKJGP Western Zone on charge (Contd on of abetment of suicide.
Case of Victoria Kharkongor
Another shocking incident took place in Guwahati when a woman from Shillong Victoria Kharkongor was found dead inside the washroom of Dispur police station on the night of July 5 barely hours after she was handed over to police by the authorities of International Hospital, Guwahati, alleging that she was creating trouble in the hospital after she was admitted there. The version of the Assam police was that Kharkongor committed suicide in the washroom of the police station. Following the death of Kharkongor, Assam Police suspended two personnel including a lady officer for dereliction of duty.
A boy from Shillong, Mawramsong Khar Hujon also went missing from Mumbai airport and later his body was found in a hospital. As per Mumbai police, he was hit by a train. Meghalaya Police has sought the complete details of the incident.
Labourers die after consuming strange chutney
A shocking incident was also reported in the state when at least 14 labourers from Dhubri district in western Assam died under mysterious circumstances in a remote village in East Jaintia Hills District in eastern Meghalaya. 14 road construction labourers from Dhubri in Assam died at Saipung in East Jaintia Hills after they reportedly consumed chutney made from wild fruits during the evening meal. Some labourers collected the wild fruits from the nearby forest and prepared the chutney for the meal. Later all the workers including a manager were found dead in the labour camp.
Shortly after, a similar incident was reported from West Jaintia Hills where three children died after eating wild mushroom prepared for dinner at their home in Khanduli (Moosakhia) village in West Jaintia Hills.
Witchcraft charge
In Garo Hills, a case of alleged practicing of witchcraft led to the death of five people. Bodies of five persons including that of an elderly woman, was recovered from two graves in a village under Rongram development block after they were murdered in cold blood by villagers over allegations of witchcraft practice.
According to a report, the murders reportedly occurred in the first week of January, this year, inside Mrigre village, 5 kms from Rongram, and were hushed up by the villagers until West Garo Hills police discovered the crime while investigating a missing person’s report made to them by a relative of the deceased.
