SHILLONG, Aug 3: Home Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui on Tuesday warned that the police will strongly deal with any militant or criminal element that tries to disrupt peace and harmony in the state.
“I cannot differentiate between a militant and a criminal. But anyone, who is against the society, is a criminal,” Rymbui said, reacting to the statement of Opposition leader, Mukul Sangma that insurgent groups are regrouping in the Garo Hills region.
Rymbui said there will always be some elements who will try to create problems. It is the duty of the police to be continuously vigilant and ensure that peace prevails in the state, the Minister said.
He said the police could nip things in the bud as they have been very active.
He said the West Garo Hills police and the Ri-Bhoi police in their joint efforts had nabbed some people who were trying to spread disturbance. The Home Minister urged the citizens to inform the police if they have any information about elements engaged in any criminal activities.
“I want to assure that such elements will be dealt with as per the law of the land,” Rymbui added.
Sangma had on Tuesday asked how a top leader of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent could surrender without arms.
“Why did the state police not ask him about his arms?” he had asked.
“The ULFA leader has left everything (arms) there. Is this match fixing? The government should not play with the life and death of people as many people have been killed by them,” the Opposition leader said.
Sticking to his statement that the militants are trying to regroup, he claimed that this has been happening since 2019. He said Garo National Liberation Army leader Sohan D Shira was influenced by people not to surrender on the pretext that the Mukul Sangma government will not come to power in 2018.
Claiming that the militants are moving around with sophisticated guns, he had asked the government to call a meeting of the State Security Commission to discuss the issue.
The Opposition leader lamented that the government has not ensured its focus on development and creating avenues to generate hope as even business for local people is being given to others.
“You can’t allow the dislocation of their livelihood activities based on entrepreneurship. All our local businessmen are being deprived of their work in different departments such as PWD, PHE or MeECL,” the former chief minister said.
