SHILLONG: The body of havildar Khomraj Bhattarai was handed over to the relatives on Sunday, a day after the decomposed body was recovered from a shallow grave near Tapa Darengchi area in North Garo Hills.
A parade to express grief over the demise of the havildar from the 6th MLP Battalion was held in North Garo Hills on Sunday.
The body was brought to Shillong on Sunday evening and a guard of honour has been scheduled on Monday at the Police Reserve here.
Khomraj was taken captive along with another person in Songsak area while he was returning to duty after availing home leave. Armed GNLA militants under the command of ‘area commander’ Pilliport D Shira stopped the commercial winger vehicle in which the havildar was travelling and took him and the handyman of the vehicle away on November 5. After 20 days of captivity the militants released the handyman who had been separated from Bhattarai soon after the abduction.
A police official asserted that the abduction and killing of the havildar was the handiwork of GNLA.
The official also added that the GNLA militants had asked two villagers at gun point to dig the grave to bury the body of the havildar.
One of the villagers, Village Employment Secretary Walison N Sangma was arrested by the police.
On the motive of the crime, police said the militants had kidnapped the two non Garos with a purpose to demand ransom but after finding that one of the abducted persons was a havildar they eliminated him.
