Body identified by family members
TURA: Former chief of the United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) Norok X. Momin, who was on the run, was shot dead in a gun battle with North Garo Hills police on Saturday night.
Norok, also known by the name Singbirth N. Marak, was holed up with four other cadres in a hideout inside a forest near Thapa Matronggre village, 18 km from district headquarters Resubelpara.
The former commander-in-chief of UALA was killed in the exchange of fire, which according to police lasted around three to four minutes, around 7 pm on Saturday, the police said and added that the four others fled into the darkness.
“We had received inputs about the presence of a group of armed men moving in the area and dispatched our police teams to the spot. They spotted the rebels in a jungle hideout and when asked to surrender the militants responded with guns forcing our men to return fire,” new district police chief Dalton P. Marak told The Shillong Times.
Norok, whose name meant ‘hell’ in Garo, was one of Garo Hills’ most wanted militant chiefs and was behind several attacks on government officials. He was allegedly selling weapons to a rebel group.
The five armed men were in the area for extorting betel nut traders and had visited the nearby village, the police said.
Thapa Matronggre is a remote village located 7 km beyond Thapa Darengchi that connects Resubelpara with Songsak in East Garo Hills through a highway.
Norok was part of the 68 UALA rebels who surrendered in an official disbanding ceremony in Tura last June. However, Norok was not among the outfit’s rebels who signed a peace pact with the Government in December 2015. The group was formed in 2013.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Home Minister Roshan Warjri had attended the ceremony at SMELC complex. The surrender could be possible because of the efforts of church in Garo Hills.
The police team recovered a Chinese AK-47 rifle, a US pistol a high explosive hand grenade, ammunition, SIM cards and some documents from the encounter site.
Norok’s body was identified by his family members on Sunday morning and later handed over to them. It would be taken back to Williamnagar, his home town, for burial.