By Patricia Mukhim
A foreigner who now lives in Shillong commented the other day that he could not understand why people in this state take up guns, kill, extort, call a shutdown (bandhs) and operate as the masked underground mafia and then one fine day decide to call a truce because they want ‘peace.’ What he found convoluted is that the Government agrees to sign a peace pact with them. And then lo and behold! All their sins are washed away! They can join politics, start a business and continue to keep their undeclared arms and ammunition to be used to intimidate soft targets when elections comes calling.
Those of us who have seen life from close quarters know that when militants call a truce it is because they are down and out and have run out of oxygen (money and arms). It is because they are hounded by the security forces on one hand and their former colleagues (GNLA) on the other and they don’t know where to run for cover. Even the six ‘hard-core’ (please mark the adjectives used) GNLA cadres who surrendered recently were “welcomed with open arms” by the police officials because they, “Once were lost and now are found.” The more specious statement from IGP Nongpluh is enough to send many more young people to the jungle, fight the state, kill civilians and policemen and then come back with arms, surrender and get the promised rehabilitation package. Smooth operation Mr Nongpluh! You’re your policemen who died at the hands of these militants ever get justice? Are their relatives going to forgive and forget just because you have chosen to do so? This is iniquitous and insolent. Then the SP West Garo Hills, Mukesh Singh steps in to say that the surrendered cadres will be kept in Meghalaya Police battalion for three days after which they will get their package and live a normal life. How smart is that!
Guys who have played around with guns and killed mercilessly will, after three days of renunciation, be allowed to become part of civil society. I am sure many psychiatrists and psychologists will balk at this police logic. How do you purge violence out of cadres who are trained to kill, in just three days? Is it possible? Will the cadres be happy with the rehabilitation package when they are able to put a gun to someone’s head and get the person to cough up lakhs of rupees? Where is the process of law? Aren’t the police themselves subverting it?
In July 2004 the Union Home Ministry arbitrarily stepped in to sign a peace agreement with the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC ) led by Dilash Marak its Chairman and Wanding R Marak the Secretary. It is learnt that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) played a key role in facilitating this agreement. The IB officer, Mr Sadhu of the rank of Additional SP, who was at the time looking after Garo Hills cleared the way for the ANVC to sign the truce with Government of India. After that event, Sadhu was promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) and retired, but not before he was rewarded with a medal. The game plan is so insidious it makes you want to puke! And the charade does not end there. On September 24th this year, the IB invited Sadhu to deliver a special talk in the IB Headquarters. The IB flew him to and fro as a reward for services done. But what Sadhu has done is a great disservice to Meghalaya.
Interestingly, the Government of Meghalaya at the time refused to be part of the ‘peace party.’ They remained firm about not joining a peace process that was concluded behind their backs. After all it was the Meghalaya Police that brought the ANVC down to their knees and they would have surrendered without much ado and fanfare. But the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) unilaterally stepped in and remote controlled the whole charade. The Chief Minister at the time was Mr DD Lapang. He was well advised by one of our tough cops, DGP Sailo who was also instrumental in breaking the back of the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), not to be in a hurry to acquiesce to what GoI was proposing. The Meghalaya Government remained adamant about not being part of the tripartite agreement until the then Home Minister himself wrote a DO letter to the Chief Minister. Needless to say this was gravely demoralizing for the Meghalaya Police.
Recently the Mukul Sangma Government signed a tripartite truce with the breakaway faction of the ANVC namely the ANVC (B) led by Rimpu Marak. The ANVC has committed a series of crimes. The Dy SP of Baghmara District Peychon Sangma was ambushed by the outfit in the outskirts of Chokpot. ANVC leader Jerome Momin and his gang killed five police personnel at Songsak in February 1998 and looted Rs 85 lakhs which was meant for the Treasury Office at Mendipathar. ANVC also killed four police personnel at Nengkhara in 1998 and looted Rs 12 lakh from a bus. The list of crimes is endless. I am only mentioning some. And then when the ANVC decides it wants to call it a day everything is forgiven and forgotten. How can the political masters alone decide on these peace initiatives? What about the victims of terror? Should they not be taken on board? Should they not be allowed to decide the course of action on the killers?
One very important question that needs clarity is this: Can the Government arbitrarily decide to withdraw cases registered against members of an outlawed organization unilaterally? What legal provisions facilitate such a unilateral decision? At this juncture civil society and individuals need to seek information under RTI about cases registered against ANVC and the status of the investigation. We must know what legal framework allows the Government to waive off all criminal cases against ANVC . Are there any such laws in existence? I would, in fact, appeal to the High Court of Meghalaya to take suo moto cognizance of this article for judicial intervention into these critical matters. Meghalaya cannot allow criminal elements hiding under the cover of militancy with sexy acronyms to get away with murder.
At this juncture we are surprised by the announcement of Dr Mukul Sangma that his Government would be signing a peace pact with the beleaguered HNLC. And the outfit has been threatening the Government to name an interlocutor. This is another dangerous game plan. Recently when the Joint Intelligence Chief, RN Ravi was asked if he knows about the proposed peace talks with HNLC he replied that all this is a charade and that if Dr Mukul Sangma is getting into signing peace talks with anti-national elements involved in cyber crime he is playing a very dangerous game. What is it that Dr Sangma wants to do with the ANVC (B) and the HNLC anyway? Those who know the surreptitious political games being played in Garo Hills claim that these surrendered cadres will ultimately be used as private militia during elections. The HNLC will be used in the Khasi-Jaintia region.
These conjectures cannot be dismissed lightly. They are very serious and they ought to be discussed and debated by civil society. Our election process is already hugely flawed by the use of money power. If we bring in armed gunmen to coerce and intimidate then even those who refuse to be bought by money will not step out to vote. The present case calls for a public interest litigation. Our politicians cannot and should not be allowed to take decisions that will exacerbate violence in Meghalaya. I am wondering who advised Dr Mukul Sangma to sign the peace pact with the ANVC (B) and whether he was under any kind of pressure. Was the DGP consulted? Did he give his views on the matter? What were those views? Surely those views cannot be state secrets! It’s time we analyse the shenanigans of our politicians with greater scrutiny.
