TURA: Sustained counter insurgency operations by Garo Hills police and peace efforts by church leaders have led to the surrender of two former GNLA militants and an associate in two Garo Hills districts.
While one of the former rebels surrendered in Resubelpara in North Garo Hills, another surrendered in Tura with his associate and handed over two pistols.
The two rebels who surrendered before West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh and superintendent of police MG Raghavendra Kumar had been planning to form a new rebel outfit.
Former GNLA rebel Silgrak D Sangma alias Kalu (25) hailed from Magupara village of Barengapara border town in the district. He belonged to the 4th batch of GNLA recruits.
His associate Bushtin D Sangma alias Tarun, is also from Magupara.
The police got information about the duo’s plan to start a new outfit and launched a series of counter insurgency operations in the area where they were active.
At the same time, church leaders were encouraged to mediate.
They surrendered two pistols and ammunition.
In North Garo Hills, a 30-year-old former GNLA cadre turned robber surrendered to the North Garo Hills police without arms on Thursday.
Seng’san R Marak alias A’song, who is a resident of Nokatgre village in Resubelpara, surrendered himself at the SP’s office at 11am in presence of church leaders.
A’song told police that he joined the GNLA outfit in 2011. He escaped from the GNLA camp in 2014 with weapons which Sohan D Shira and Baichung Ch Momin, both of whom are dead, had asked him to return. He was trained in 2012 along with other recruits in the fourth batch. A’song was arrested four times by the North Garo Hills police.
He had an AK-56 rifle, a carbine, seven pistols and ammunition.
He went on to form a criminal gang with Kalu calling themselves A’song Rakgipa, the former rebel claimed. The group was active in the western part of the state where the GNLA had lost its grip, the former rebel confessed.
He was warned of execution by Shira and action commander Baichung for not returning the GNLA weapons.
On December 31 last year, A’song’s group kidnapped a businessman from Krishnai in neighbouring Assam. Meghalaya police rescued the person on January 4. Most of the kidnapping cases are in Nangal Bibra, Baghmara, Chokpot in South Garo Hills, and Williamnagar in East Garo Hills. Investigation into these cases is still on.
A’song did not hand over any weapon at the time of his surrender on Thursday prompting police to quiz him about the stolen weapons from the armoury of the GNLA.
The district police had cracked down on rebels and criminals and got Greyhound Sangma as the first catch on February 1 last year. In the second week of February, the UALA leader died in a gun battle. In May, the district police, based on inputs from Kokrajhar, arrested William Sangma and aborted the plan to form A’chik Revolutionary Army. William recently escaped from police custody. In August 2017, the West Garo Hills police arrested Mithun Marak and stopped the formation of Garo Peoples Liberation Army.
(With inputs from Resubelpara)
