TURA: Stung by the betrayal of their senior member Reding T Sangma who went on to form a new outfit called A’chik Songna An’pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) accusing GNLA chief Sohan D Shira of being ‘dictatorial’ and hard handed on cadres, the banned outfit has shot back at its former colleague.
The ‘eastern area commander’ of GNLA, Ajan Momin alias Jimmy, while speaking to The Shillong Times dismissed the charges leveled against his ‘commander-in-chief’ Sohan D Shira by Reding T Sangma. “Reding fled from GNLA fearing action for his misdeeds and misappropriation of funds belonging to the organisation,” claimed Ajan Momin who hails from Bolkingre, the same village as Reding, which is located across the river Simsang not far from Williamnagar.
Giving the GNLA side of the story, Ajan mentioned that Reding was demoted from the post of finance secretary to that of grievances secretary after it was found that a substantial amount of funds had gone missing.
“He invested Rs 70 lakh for coal trade and rubber plantations. All that money was taken from the organisation,” claimed the GNLA leader. He added that Reding, despite being removed from the finance portfolio continued to retain a substantial number of GNLA letter pads and seals which he used to further extort money from traders and businessmen in Tura, Baghmara and Nangalbibra.
“He blames us for killing our own cadres which is not true. It was Reding who murdered one of the cadres from Mindikgre by executing him at Paromgre village accusing him of collaborating with police. The cadre who was known as Joksret was killed without the authority of our commander-in-chief,” said Ajan. Terming their former comrade as a man of weak moral values, the GNLA has claimed that the business interests of Reding are being looked after by his new wife from Mindikgre village itself. “Garo society does not encourage a man to have many wives. Records will show the number of girls he has taken as wives and later abandoned,” accused the GNLA eastern commander.