By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 14: The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), which recently withdrew from peace talks with the state and central governments, has been banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs for another five years.
In a notification, the Union Home Ministry stated that the central government believes the HNLC’s declared objective is the secession of areas in Meghalaya, predominantly inhabited by the Khasi and Jaintia tribes. The group has continued to intimidate and harass civilians to extort funds for its activities. The ban on the HNLC, including all its factions, wings, and affiliated organisations, will be effective from November 16.
The notification further noted that the HNLC has been involved in activities detrimental to India’s sovereignty and integrity.
The group is known to maintain links with other insurgent outfits in the Northeastern region to support its operations, which include extortion, intimidation, and involvement in 48 criminal cases, such as bombings and the planting of explosives across Meghalaya from November 2019 to June 2024.
During this period, security forces also arrested 73 members of the group.
