Between a rock and a hard place

The IED blast happening in broad daylight in a busy marketplace of Shillong on Tuesday should make the government sit up and take notice. The outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) through its general secretary has claimed credit for the blast through its missive addressed to the media. The present Government and the one before it has been blowing hot and cold over extending the olive branch to the outfit and whether to call it to the negotiating table to talk peace. Recently, former Health Minister AL Hek had also broached the topic of initiating peace talks with the HNLC but it remained only an intent. Does the Government know for a fact the present strength of the outfit? In recent times the HNLC has placed an IED in a police station in Jaintia Hills. Now it wants to make its presence felt in the capital city. Interestingly, the outfit has now questioned the Meghalaya High Court on why it has put an embargo on the media to publish news about bandh calls by the outfit. The HNLC has also warned the media to remain free and independent and publish releases they send from time to time failing which they would teach the media a lesson. Now where does that leave media professionals? On one side is the High Court directive; on the other is the HNLC threat! The media finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Meanwhile the East Shillong MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh under whose constituency the Laitumkhrah market falls has accused the state of intelligence failure. Former Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma of the Congress had been warning the MDA Government that militant outfits are regrouping. The discovery of detonators and arms at a place in Ri Bhoi recently should have upped the ante of the Government. The police force of this state had fought long and hard to contain militancy in Meghalaya. They have lost some of their best men in encounters with militants. Economic activities in the state suffered due to large scale extortions. No one wants to go down that road again. This is where governance matters. At this juncture Meghalaya needs a no-nonsense Home Minister who knows what he’s talking about. The state also needs a refurbished police force that is psychologically geared to tackle a fresh bout of militancy. After the GNLA supremo, Sohan D Shira was gunned down in February 2018, the state of preparedness of Meghalaya Police had slackened. Illegal coal mining and transportation goes unchecked making it appear that the rule of law does not exist. This is what gives non-state actors a fillip. The MDA Government needs to remain alert to this new challenge.