Williamnagar: Meghalaya Director General of Police S B Singh has said that prima facie evidence to the killing of the NCP candidate points to the role of the GNLA outfit and said credible leads are being obtained about the involvement of the group in Sunday night’s carnage.
While clearly indicating the role of the banned rebel outfit, the head of the police force in Meghalaya also voiced concern over the presence of surrendered rebels in the company of the slain politician which gives rise to questions whose answers would be hard to come by.
The state police chief rushed to Williamnagar on Monday morning where he reviewed the security apparatus and later held a high level meeting with district police chiefs and heads of other security forces at 2nd MLP battalion headquarters in Goeragre, 12 kms from Tura.
“We have already pushed in more counter-insurgency forces into the Garo Hills region and also seeking additional central paramilitary forces from New Delhi,” said Singh.
In regards to the security apparatus of the NCP candidate who had previously been the target of the banned rebel group in the 2013 state elections, the state police chief pointed out that two armed security personnel were deployed for his protection in the light of militant threats.
The DGP indicated that standard security procedures were allegedly not followed by the NCP candidate leading to the attack.
Late Jonathone Sangma is said to have informed district authorities about his election campaign meetings for a few select villages in Samanda block on Sunday. But, he reportedly overstepped his area of campaign by going deeper into the remote region where previous militant activites have taken place.
The presence of surrendered GNLA militants in his campaign group has also raised many questions with police sources indicating that even the former deputy commander-in-chief of the GNLA, Rupanto Marak alias Toding had accompanied the slain politician.
The former area commander of GNLA in Chokpot region, Baichung Momin, who was accompanying the NCP candidate died in the IED blast.
“It is a known fact that GNLA chief Sohan Shira has been targetting former members of his group who surrendered to authorities. Last year’s killing of their surrendered finance secretary Rakkam Shira and former action commander Kamdat are examples of the outfit’s intention,” said the DGP.
