Shillong: In a major achievement, Meghalaya police have killed a senior cadre of A’chik Songna An’pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) involved in the kidnapping and murder of an Intelligence Bureau officer and a cloth merchant.
The Meghalaya’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos shot dead Sengbath D. Shira, deputy commander of ASAK on Sunday in Kemdang village in South Garo Hills district, bordering Bangladesh, Inspector General of Police (Operations) GHP Raju informed on Monday.
However, six or seven militants escaped after a brief exchange of fire.
“The combing operation is still on in the area and other adjoining areas to track the escaped militants,” Raju said.
Shira was wanted by Meghalaya Police for the kidnapping and killing of Intelligence Bureau officer Vikas Singh and cloth merchant Kamal Saha on September 24, 2015, besides for his involvement in several extortion and abduction cases in the insurgency-ravaged districts of Garo Hills.
ASAK militants kidnapped Singh and Saha, when they were travelling in a public vehicle towards Baghmara from Rongara. The two bodies were recovered a month later.
Sengbath and his gang killed the due by smashing their heads with a blunt object on the same day of kidnapping and buried their bodies in the Panda Reserve forest and police after a month recovered their dead body.
In the recent past, Meghalaya Police have arrested three militants for their involvement in the killing of Singh and Saha and burying their bodies.
“We are still tracking the movement of the other ASAK militants involved directly and indirectly in the killings,” Raju said.
Kidnapping and subsequent execution of Vikas Singh and Saha drew a lot of criticism from several quarters. It may be mentioned that Meghalaya High Court, in an order in connection with a different case on November 2, had also highlighted this gruesome incident.
