SHILLONG, May 16: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said he would call a meeting for assessing the situation following reports of the regrouping of the members of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).
“There is an internal report, which is part of the normal exercise from time to time. But I have not seen the report as of now,” he told reporters.
Stating that the government cannot but be concerned at every level about this development, he said he is not overly worried.
“You must understand that we receive a lot of intelligence inputs. When such intel comes in, we have to filter out to see if it carries any weight. These procedures are very complicated,” the Chief Minister said, adding that 100-200 such intelligence reports are received at times.
“But we don’t take anything lightly,” he said.
The UDP has urged the state government to nip the problem in the bud.
“I think the government has to step in immediately. Such regrouping will affect the long-term development of the state and the safety and security of the people,” UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh said.
But he admitted he has gone by the media reports and does not know what actually is happing on the ground.
An internal memo by a DSP-ranked police officer in West Garo Hills that was leaked online has led to panic in the Garo Hills region. The memo, which was meant for circulation between officers of the police force, claimed that the GNLA was regrouping and was on a recruitment drive in a bid to become a force to reckon with.
The May 11 memo was meant for circulation in all police stations of the district with officers being asked to check the authenticity of the ‘source information’ provided by one of the former members of the outfit.
The memo stated that input was received that the GNLA, which has remained dormant for many years, were regrouping and meetings were being conducted in many areas including Jadigittim and Nongalbibra (SGH), and Shallang (WKH) to encourage the youth to join the GNLA.
The memo said about 500 youths from various districts of Garo Hills had joined the outfit and had been sent to Nagaland and Myanmar for basic training. It also claimed that some big businessmen, who were close associates of the GNLA earlier, were helping the outfit to regroup.
On the leaked document, Meghalaya DGP, LR Bishnoi said there cannot be 500 cadres inducted in the outfit as it did not have so many members even when insurgency was at its peak.
Admitting that someone leaked the document to the media, he said it was a routine source of information and the matter has been sent for verification.
The memo requested all police stations to verify the authenticity of the information provided by the source while asking the police and intelligence to closely monitor the movement of the surrendered cadres, known business associates, over-ground workers of the outfit as well as sympathisers to see if the input holds any water.
