TURA: Garo militants are frequently using Bangladesh as a safe option for medical treatment and thereby avoiding getting caught in government run hospitals inside India.
Recent seizure of materials from the GNLA militants and camps has revealed the regularity of militants crossing over to the neighbouring country with injuries particularly bullet wounds for surgery.
Hospital documents originating from Bangladesh have been found in possession of GNLA militants clearly indicating the frequency of medical services being provided across the border.
One of the recent hospital documents seized includes a medical examination slip given by a senior doctor of Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital for a suspected GNLA militant who went by the name of Sonjoy Drong suffering from ENT, blood and eye problems.
Drong is a common Garo title in Bangladesh and police suspect that several militants may be using that alias to escape detection from authorities in that country.
Private chambers such as the Moon Diagnostic Centre, Pranto Diagnostic Centre and Paramita Eye Clinic, all in Mymensingh town, are centres in which the ultras had sought medical attention anonymously.
Garo Hills police mention that senior GNLA cadres who sustained bullet injuries during encounters with police are initially treated with antibiotics in the jungles before being taken across for surgery in safe houses located at Haluaghat and Mymensingh.
This year, a senior GNLA militant identified as Babang was taken across the border for treatment after sustaining a bullet injury on his face during an attack on a surrendered cadre in Songsak.
The GNLA militants had entered the house of a defector but were attacked by the surrendered member who used a dao to hack one of the militants.
During the tussle one of the militants fired on their former colleague and hit their leader Babang who was later taken away profusely bleeding.
He survived after seeking medical attention from Bangladesh and was inside the general headquarters recuperating when SWAT commandos launched two simultaneous attacks from East and South Garo Hills on Wednesday forcing the militants to abandon their camp.
