IMPHAL, May 29 : Three cadres of the Kuki National Front (P), a signatory under the Suspension of Operations with the state and the Central government have been arrested along with arms and ammunition by 43 Assam Riffles personnel. The three were handed over to the Sekmai police station and then produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Imphal West and who remanded them to five days of Police custody.
According to the police, the cadres of the KNF (P) were arrested by the team of Assam riffles yesterday evening along National Highway number 2 on the Imphal-Dimapur road while they were coming in a Maruti Alto car (MN07-D-0748). Two Hk-33 riffles along with two magazines and 640 live rounds were recovered from their possession at the time of arrest and handed over to the Sekmai Police station yesterday around 11 pm last night.
The three KNF (P) cadres are identified as Thengkhothen Kipgen (25), son of Manglun Kipgen of New Keithelmanbi, Thangjalun Kipgen (19), son of Jamakholen Kipgen of Songjang Village Kangpokpi and Langminthang Kipgen (33), son of Lunkhai Kipgen of New Keithel Manbi.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Indian arms handler held in Bangladesh
The Border Security Force (BSF) is to seek information
from its Bangladeshi counterpart over the detention of an Indian arms
handler in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Border Guards, Bangladesh (BGB),
had arrested a resident of Sabroom in south Tripura, along with two
other suspects, at Matiranga area of the hill tracts.
The
detainee has been identified as Gautam Tripura of Beltali locality in
Sabroom. Reports suggest that he and his accomplices Laxmi Chakma and
Ramchandra Chakma used to procure arms from Myanmar and smuggle them to
the Chittagong Hill Tracts, in which several Indian extremist groups are
running training camps.
A BSF official on condition
of anonymity said on Monday that Gautam could provide vital information
on the arms racket active in Myanmar, Mizoram, Tripura and the hill
tracts of Bangladesh. He said they would contact the BGB to seek
information on Gautam who is lodged at the Matiranga police station
under Kagracharri district.
A report from Bangladesh
claimed that the detainees had confessed to their frequent cross-border
movements to acquire weapons. BSF and Indian intelligence agencies
expect a link to the arrests with the recovery of huge cache of weapons
near Aizawl, capital of Mizoram, on March 8 this year.
Extended gun-battle reported between Kuki outfits
IMPHAL, May 29 : A Suspension of Operation signatory Kuki underground outfit set to hold peace talk with the Government of India and the Government of Manipur reportedly exchanged fire with cadres of another faction, informed a source.
Cadres of the Kuki National Front (P) were involved in an extended gun fight spanning around six hours since late last night till early this morning lasting from 10pm last night till 3am this morning, with cadres of the Kuki National Front (N) which had recently splintered from the outfit, informed the source.
Sources also said that a cadre of one of the outfits and a child were injured in the gun fight at Bongal Khullen in Senapati District under the jurisdiction of Yairipok police station of Thoubal District.
The scene of the incident is 15 kilometres north – east of Yairipok police station, said the source.
A cadre of KNF (N), identified to be the finance secretary of the outfit and a child of a nearby village who was at the scene of the incident sustained bullet injuries in the legs, informed the source.
However, there has been no official report of the incident or injuries made to the police and the identities of the injured could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, a team of the Thoubal District police commando had also inspected the scene of incident this morning but no villagers declined to officially report the incident.
Cadres of the Kuki National Front (P) were involved in an extended gun fight spanning around six hours since late last night till early this morning lasting from 10pm last night till 3am this morning, with cadres of the Kuki National Front (N) which had recently splintered from the outfit, informed the source.
Sources also said that a cadre of one of the outfits and a child were injured in the gun fight at Bongal Khullen in Senapati District under the jurisdiction of Yairipok police station of Thoubal District.
The scene of the incident is 15 kilometres north – east of Yairipok police station, said the source.
A cadre of KNF (N), identified to be the finance secretary of the outfit and a child of a nearby village who was at the scene of the incident sustained bullet injuries in the legs, informed the source.
However, there has been no official report of the incident or injuries made to the police and the identities of the injured could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, a team of the Thoubal District police commando had also inspected the scene of incident this morning but no villagers declined to officially report the incident.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
GNLA chief's detention order set aside
Shillong: Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday set aside the West Garo Hills district administration's order of detention of terrorist outfit Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) chief Champion R Sangma on technical grounds.
The detention order was made under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA) but the district authorities did not inform Champion about his rights and failed to bring the state government's approval on the order before the mandatory period.
Champion, a former policeman, had been booked under MPDA by magistrates of East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills districts on January 29 and 30 respectively.
Their contention was that if Champion was allowed to remain free, this would affect security of the state and maintenance of public order in the districts.
Under the MPDA Act, a person can be detained for a maximum period of three years and the accused can get bail only after a government advisory board decides on the matter.
After the high court set aside the West Garo Hills district order, Champion's counsel Sujit Dey said they would challenge the other order when it would be heard on Friday.
Earlier on January 11, the GNLA chief was granted bail on two cases as the government failed to file a charge-sheet in the criminal cases against him within 90 days in Nongstoin, the district headquarters of West Khasi Hills.
The GNLA has been categorised as a terror organisation by the Centre in January. Formed in 2010, the GNLA is active in three western Garo Hills districts of Meghalaya and in pockets of West Khasi Hills district.
The detention order was made under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA) but the district authorities did not inform Champion about his rights and failed to bring the state government's approval on the order before the mandatory period.
Champion, a former policeman, had been booked under MPDA by magistrates of East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills districts on January 29 and 30 respectively.
Their contention was that if Champion was allowed to remain free, this would affect security of the state and maintenance of public order in the districts.
Under the MPDA Act, a person can be detained for a maximum period of three years and the accused can get bail only after a government advisory board decides on the matter.
After the high court set aside the West Garo Hills district order, Champion's counsel Sujit Dey said they would challenge the other order when it would be heard on Friday.
Earlier on January 11, the GNLA chief was granted bail on two cases as the government failed to file a charge-sheet in the criminal cases against him within 90 days in Nongstoin, the district headquarters of West Khasi Hills.
The GNLA has been categorised as a terror organisation by the Centre in January. Formed in 2010, the GNLA is active in three western Garo Hills districts of Meghalaya and in pockets of West Khasi Hills district.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Meghalaya: Militants kill 5 migrant labourers
SHILLONG: Five migrant labourers were shot dead and few others were injured when suspected tribal militants indiscriminately fired upon them in a remote mining village in Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district, police said on Tuesday.
Suspected United Achik Liberation Army (UALA), a breakaway faction of the Achik National Volunteer Council-B faction, led by one Norrok Momin went to the mining camp at Darangdura village on Monday evening and fired at the labourers, the police said.
The militants came to the quarry and pushed the labourers to one corner before opening fire on them from their automatic rifles resulting in the death of five workers and injury to others, who fled from the camp.
Police suspected that the shooting was a result of non-payment of extortion by the mine owner.
According to the police, the militants had served extortion notice to the mine owner several times to which he did not pay heed.
The police rushed to the village, about 10km from Nangalbira area, and took stock of the situation.
Police have intensified vigil in and around the camp area and launched a manhunt to nab those involved in the criminal act, Davis Nestell R Marak, district police chief said.
Several militant outfits have mushroomed in five districts of Garo Hills affecting the law and order situation.
Suspected United Achik Liberation Army (UALA), a breakaway faction of the Achik National Volunteer Council-B faction, led by one Norrok Momin went to the mining camp at Darangdura village on Monday evening and fired at the labourers, the police said.
The militants came to the quarry and pushed the labourers to one corner before opening fire on them from their automatic rifles resulting in the death of five workers and injury to others, who fled from the camp.
Police suspected that the shooting was a result of non-payment of extortion by the mine owner.
According to the police, the militants had served extortion notice to the mine owner several times to which he did not pay heed.
The police rushed to the village, about 10km from Nangalbira area, and took stock of the situation.
Police have intensified vigil in and around the camp area and launched a manhunt to nab those involved in the criminal act, Davis Nestell R Marak, district police chief said.
Several militant outfits have mushroomed in five districts of Garo Hills affecting the law and order situation.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Garo rebel outfit 'sentences' Congress legislator to death
The outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) has again
threatened to kill Meghalaya Congress legislator Limison D. Sangma for
not complying with their extortion demands, police said Monday.
"We have been informed by the legislator that the GNLA has issued a 'death penalty' for not complying with their extortion demands," Mukesh Kumar Singh, the district police chief of West Garo Hills, told IANS.
In a text message to Sangma, the GNLA North Zone "area commander" P.D. Shira stated that the outfit declared that Sangma has been "awarded" the "death penalty" or that he should "compensate for the loss" by paying an amount of Rs.2 lakh.
"You (Sangma) had intentionally insulted and tarnished the image of the GNLA, in general, and our cadre Rangdat, and thereby committed an offence punishable under the various sections of GNLA penal code and within my cognizance," Shira stated in the text message.
Earlier, Sangma had received a text message in which the GNLA allegedly demanded Rs.5 lakh, and if not paid they would kidnap and kill him.
Though, the tribal Garo outfit denied sending the text message, Sangma, however, said it was the GNLA which had made the demand.
"It is the GNLA. They sent such demand notices twice - for Rs.10 lakh in May and Rs.50 lakh in October last year, and they demanded Rs.7 lakh over phone during the assembly elections," Sangma said.
"I have informed police about the GNLA making extortion demands. I hope they bring them to book," the Congress legislator said.
Intelligence officials said the outlawed GNLA had slapped extortion demands ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.1 crore on petrol vend owners, coal dealers and businessmen in the coal-rich districts of Garo Hills in the western part of Meghalaya.
"We have been informed by the legislator that the GNLA has issued a 'death penalty' for not complying with their extortion demands," Mukesh Kumar Singh, the district police chief of West Garo Hills, told IANS.
In a text message to Sangma, the GNLA North Zone "area commander" P.D. Shira stated that the outfit declared that Sangma has been "awarded" the "death penalty" or that he should "compensate for the loss" by paying an amount of Rs.2 lakh.
"You (Sangma) had intentionally insulted and tarnished the image of the GNLA, in general, and our cadre Rangdat, and thereby committed an offence punishable under the various sections of GNLA penal code and within my cognizance," Shira stated in the text message.
Earlier, Sangma had received a text message in which the GNLA allegedly demanded Rs.5 lakh, and if not paid they would kidnap and kill him.
Though, the tribal Garo outfit denied sending the text message, Sangma, however, said it was the GNLA which had made the demand.
"It is the GNLA. They sent such demand notices twice - for Rs.10 lakh in May and Rs.50 lakh in October last year, and they demanded Rs.7 lakh over phone during the assembly elections," Sangma said.
"I have informed police about the GNLA making extortion demands. I hope they bring them to book," the Congress legislator said.
Intelligence officials said the outlawed GNLA had slapped extortion demands ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.1 crore on petrol vend owners, coal dealers and businessmen in the coal-rich districts of Garo Hills in the western part of Meghalaya.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Top Maoist leader held in Assam
CPI(Maoist) central committee member Anukul Chandra Naskar, who was
arrested by the Assam police in Guwahati on Thursday. Photo: PTI
The 65-year-old Naskar hails from Balia in 24 South Parganas district
A joint team of the Assam police and the Special
Intelligence Branch (SIB) from Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday arrested top
CPI (Maoist) leader Anukul Chandra Naskar alias Goer Chandra Naskar
alias Pareshji in southern Assam’s Cachar district.
Senior Superintendent of Police A.P. Tiwari told The Hindu
that Naskar was a “very senior leader and a policymaker of the CPI
(Maoist).” He is member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI (Maoist). The
65-year-old Naskar, who hails from Balia under the Sonapur police
station in 24 South Parganas district of West Bengal, joined the Maoist
Coordination Committee (MCC) in 1967. He became a member of the central
committee of the MCC in 1985. When the MCC and the People’s War Group
(PWG) merged to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004, Naskar was made a member
of the central committee and the Polit Bureau.
Naskar
was remanded in police custody for five days by the court of Chief
Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup, on Thursday, the SSP said.
Mr.
Tiwari said that the SIB team arrived in the city on May 7 and left for
Cachar district with a team of the police and arrested Naskar. He was
brought to the city later.
“While the SIB team from
Andhra Pradesh is already here, in the next couple of days top officials
of the Intelligence Bureau, the National Investigation Agency (NIA),
top police officials of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West
Bengal and other Maoist affected areas are expected to arrive in the
city to interrogate him to get some more leads,” Mr, Tiwari added.
The
joint team got lead on Naskar’s presence in Cachar during the
interrogation of two other top Maoist leaders — Aklanta Rabha and Siraj
Rabha — who were arrested on April 26 on the outskirts of the city,
police sources said.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
M’laya rebels abduct coal manager
A manager of a coal exporter Mrong enterprise to Bangladesh was abducted
in Meghalaya by three armed men of a rebel outfit, police said Tuesday.
No ransom call was received.
“Dipu Das was abducted by three heavily armed GNLA (Garo National Liberation Army) rebels late Monday night from Gasuapara area,” Davies R Marak, the district police chief of South Garo Hills, said.
Gasuapara in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district is about 500 km from Shillong, the state capital. “We have launched a rescue operation in the area to trace Das,” Marak said.
The GNLA had earlier slapped extortion demands ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.1 crore on petrol pump owners, coal dealers and businessmen in the coal-rich districts of the Garo Hills. The GNLA is fighting for a separate Garoland in western part of Meghalaya.
“Dipu Das was abducted by three heavily armed GNLA (Garo National Liberation Army) rebels late Monday night from Gasuapara area,” Davies R Marak, the district police chief of South Garo Hills, said.
Gasuapara in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district is about 500 km from Shillong, the state capital. “We have launched a rescue operation in the area to trace Das,” Marak said.
The GNLA had earlier slapped extortion demands ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.1 crore on petrol pump owners, coal dealers and businessmen in the coal-rich districts of the Garo Hills. The GNLA is fighting for a separate Garoland in western part of Meghalaya.
Militancy in northeast is declining, claims Home Ministry
New Delhi, May 8 : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday said that militancy in the northeastern region is losing its grip and influence among the people due to consistent efforts made by the Centre and state governments to counter and eliminate various ultra outfits.
Joint Secretary (North East) in MHA, Shambhu Singh, said that militancy has reduced considerably in states such as Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur.
"The militant movement has reduced in north-eastern India. There have been concrete developments in Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam, where the militants are losing grip. Our efforts to counter militancy will continue," he said.
Singh further said that the Central Government is ready to for parleys with the rebels, if they represent themselves as a single group and not under the banner of unruly factions.
"Our message to militants is very clear that we are ready for dialogue with one organisation representing rebels. We will not talk to every minor or disoriented group," he said.
Separatist movements have riddled India's remote northeast region for decades and to avoid militancy and attain peace, efforts are being made to ink peace pacts.
States in northeastern India are encouraging more and more misguided youths to abjure violence and join the mainstream of the society by initiating developmental programmes.
Assam has been a focus of separatist insurgency for decades, but it has also recently suffered due to the bomb attacks that were allegedly undertaken by Islamist militants operating from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Ringed by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, India's strategically important northeast is home to more than 200 tribes and has been racked by separatist revolts .
Joint Secretary (North East) in MHA, Shambhu Singh, said that militancy has reduced considerably in states such as Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur.
"The militant movement has reduced in north-eastern India. There have been concrete developments in Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam, where the militants are losing grip. Our efforts to counter militancy will continue," he said.
Singh further said that the Central Government is ready to for parleys with the rebels, if they represent themselves as a single group and not under the banner of unruly factions.
"Our message to militants is very clear that we are ready for dialogue with one organisation representing rebels. We will not talk to every minor or disoriented group," he said.
Separatist movements have riddled India's remote northeast region for decades and to avoid militancy and attain peace, efforts are being made to ink peace pacts.
States in northeastern India are encouraging more and more misguided youths to abjure violence and join the mainstream of the society by initiating developmental programmes.
Assam has been a focus of separatist insurgency for decades, but it has also recently suffered due to the bomb attacks that were allegedly undertaken by Islamist militants operating from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Ringed by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, India's strategically important northeast is home to more than 200 tribes and has been racked by separatist revolts .