SHILLONG: A brigadier, while defending the army’s decision to restrict civilians in certain pockets of the city, had claimed that Shillong Cantonment is “close to the porous Indo-Bangladesh border” and Garo Hills and militants from across the border can attack the area.
In a letter to East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner PS Dkhar last September, Brigadier Amrit Lal, the president of Shillong Cantonment Board, had said deteriorating security, law and order situation in and around Shillong Cantonment and other parts of military areas is a cause for concern.
“It is also a reality that Shillong Cantonment in East Khasi Hills is in close proximity to porous Indo-Bangladesh border where HNLC and other militant outfits are active in the general area posing a threat to military installations,” he had added.
As the controversy over closure of approach roads in Shillong Cantonment and defence areas continues, Lal, the president of Shillong Cantonment Board, has said there are threats from banned outfits like HNLC and LAEF.
However, the police claimed that both these militant outfits had been neutralized and even if there is threat, this cannot be limited to defence personnel alone.
Though other board members, including the CEO, are in favour of opening the routes, Lal is opposed to the idea.
The brigadier had even said arrests of an area commander of LAEF in July last year in North Garo Hills was an indication that the area was not dormant and isolated incidents of militancy continue in the state.
“Regular seizure of explosives, weapons, foreign currency and infiltrators along the Indo-Bangladesh border by BSF continues to pose security threat to the area,” he said in the letter.
Meanwhile, in his dissent note against the resolution adopted in a meeting held on August 30 at Shillong Cantonment Board, Lal claimed that no public road was closed permanently and no access was in anyway denied to students and staff of Lady Keane College.
The dissent note also emphasised that the army’s establishments as well as residential complexes of families of its personnel are soft targets and that there was a need for taking steps to regulate movement through the defence areas.
“In view of security and health, welfare and discipline of the forces and their families in the cantonment, provisions under Section 56 of the Cantonment Act, 2006, was evoked,” the note said.
A similar instance of defence establishments closing a road in Allahabad Cantonment had come up in 2014 and a case was filed in the High Court of Allahabad by the Morning Walkers’ Association and others after which the court had asked the defence establishments not to impose any restriction unless procedures under the provisions of Section 258 of the Cantonment Act and Section 2 (ZZA) of the Act are followed.
