GNLA cadres flee after flush-out drive

File picture of GNLA cadres at a camp

Shillong, July 19 : Cadres of the Garo National Liberation Army have reportedly been compelled to move to safer places after fresh operations were launched by Meghalaya police together with the elite Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (Cobra) commandos and BSF personnel to flush out the militants from Garo hills.

Police sources today said there has been heavy movement of GNLA militants along the Durama hill range in Garo hills. The range is a tripartite junction connecting the three districts of Garo Hills — West, East and South Garo Hills.
“As the operations have been intensified, we have learnt that GNLA militants have been forced to move to other safer places,” a police official said.
Last week, the government had deployed two units of Cobra commandos in Garo hills as part of the combing operations against the militants.
Durama hill range supposedly houses the headquarters of the GNLA where the self-styled “commander-in-chief” of the outfit, Sohan D. Shira resides. The other major camp of the militant group is at Nengmandalgri in East Garo Hills.
The police official said before fleeing Durama, the GNLA militants destroyed six of their camps.
“All the six camps were destroyed yesterday by the militants themselves before fleeing to safer areas,” the official said, adding that the operations were still on to trace the outfit’s cadres.
He said the militants were now believed to have moved to the Chokpot area in South Garo Hills and neighbouring West Khasi Hills district.
During the peak of the coal trading season, the militants were active in the West Khasi Hills region, especially in Borsora and Shahlang, which have rich deposits of coal, indulging in extortion drives.
Meanwhile, the police in East Garo Hills are investigating an incident where criminals allegedly set fire to toilets used by the BSF.
Police said a complaint was lodged at Williamnagar police station that on July 16 around 2am, unknown criminals set fire to eight temporary latrines of the BSF at Willi-amnagar indoor stadium.