HNLC dismisses link with arrested man

SHILLONG, Aug 12: The proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has denied police claims that Tensing Khonglah, who was arrested for is alleged involvement in the IED blast at Laitumkhrah market, was an overground worker of the outfit.
According to police, Khonglah, a former HNLC cadre, had surrendered earlier.
HNLC general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw, in a Facebook post on Thursday claimed that Khonglah was a police aide and police have arrested their own man.
A close aide of Khonglah also questioned the arrest and the claims of the police about his involvement in the IED blast.
The aide claimed that Khonglah has not traveled to Shillong for quite some and at the time of the blast he was present on the campus of the ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd. at Mawjarain, Raid Nongkhlieng, which is implementing the two-lane Shillong-Dawki road project.
The aide claimed that Khonglah got the sub-contract from the company for the two-lane road project in addition to the Laitlyngkot Bypass project.
The aide informed that Khonglah was busy supervising the road project on Tuesday when the IED blast occurred.
Claiming that they had a meeting till late night at the company campus on the day of the blast, the aide said that police had stopped Khonglah’s vehicle at Neng Gate at around 11pm in addition to other vehicles whose occupants had attended the meeting.
The assistant said that the police asked the surrendered HNLC cadre to shift to his vehicle and proceeded towards Pynursla police station.
“On reaching the police station, the police arrested Khonglah on charges of being involved in the IED blast,” he claimed.
He said Khonglah travelled daily from Pynursla to Laitlyngkot to drop and pick up around 40 labourers who are working under him on the Bypass project.
“I have been working with him on the two-lane road project since March this year. I have not noticed anything suspicious,” he claimed.
According to the aide, Khonglah hails from Lapalang but is married at Umkor, Pynursla.
Khonglah would frequently travel to his home in Lapalang to check on his betel-nut plantation, the assistant said.