SHILLONG, July 16: Hynniewtrep National Youth Front president, Sadon K Blah said some members of the organisation will not hesitate to join the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council if the police continue to intimidate them.
“Many senior leaders of the organisation have said they are ready to cross over to Bangladesh to fully associate themselves with the HNLC if the police and the government continue to intimidate them. As the president, I have been able to hold them back from taking such a drastic step,” he said on Tuesday.
Blah said it is wrong on the part of the police to conclude that the members of the HNYF are close to the HNLC just because they know the outfit’s cadres or have taken photos with them.
He said the members of the front were in close contact with the HNLC when its top leaders were in Meghalaya to facilitate the peace talks.
“The peace talks collapsed after the government did not accept the conditions set by the HNLC,” Blah said.
He slammed the police for continuously “intimidating and harassing” the HNYF members by trying to link them with the proscribed outfit. “Four of our senior leaders, including Tarson Lymba and Sanborlang Rapsang, are currently in judicial custody after their arrest for alleged link with the HNLC,” he said.
Blah said the police are claiming that they have evidence to prove the four leaders’ close link with the HNLC.
“We will see the evidence when they are produced in the court. I am confident that the police do not have anything to prove that our members have a link with the HNLC,” he added.
The HNYF also awaits the finding of the investigating officer to be placed in the court, he said.
“We will wait for the ruling of the court. At the same time, we will not remain silent over the manner the police are harassing the members of the organisation,” Blah said.
