24 cadres bid farewell to arms
Staff Correspondent
Shillong, May 13: In yet another blow to the proscribed Garo tiol Liberation Army (GNLA), twenty four (24) hardcore cadres under the action commander Hedeo Ch Momin alias Karak and area commander of West Garo Hills, Chingmang alias Nun laid down their arms and huge cache of incomprehensible sophisticated ammunitions before the state Chief Secretary K.S Kropha in Shillong on Friday.
The surrendering of Hedeo Ch Momin, a close aide of the elusive GNLA commander–in-chief, is considered as another major blow to the outfit. He was involved in various kidppings and extortions in East and South Garo Hills district.
Hedeo is one of the five area commanders who were in touch with Sohan D Shira till he filly gave up along with his 11 cadres before being paraded for the formal surrendering ceremony.
Besides two AK 56 rifles, one SLR rifle and three small arms, the group surrendered over 500 anti aircraft gun ammunitions and about 2000 medium machine guns ammunitions and demand notes.
Along with the two senior cadres, a senior deputy commander of Ckokpot area and four persol security gaurds of Sohan D Shira, all of them in the early twenties submitted themselves to the hurricane unleashed by the police under the Operation Hill storm-3.
The self style action commander of the GNLA conceded that the sudden operations unleashed by the police have made their life miserable.
“The intensity of the operations has forced us to run helter shelter till some civil society elders bailed us out by offering the path to surrender,” stated Hedeo Momin, the area commander known for his brutality.
In the past ten days, eighty four GNLA cadres have surrendered with arms and ammunitions. This include the fince secretary, the publicity secretary, the northern command area commander and the latest being the action commander. Although the State Director General of Police (DGP) gave credit to the Church organizations as well as the members of the civil societies, the systematic operations to il these rebels seem to have yielded results.
“They (police) have gone on a calculative intelligence and combat assault to finish these armed tormentors of the society,” stated an observer, witness to the entire sequence in Garo hills.
An elated DGP told newsmen, “We have brought them into the mainstream and it is a matter of time that more will follow suit”.
The GNLA under Sohan D Shira, Rupanto and Baichung are suspected to have around 40 cadres
under their sway.