Meghalaya police to continue operations against rebels

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, May 10: Meghalaya Police are banking on church leaders and members of the civil society to prevail on the leaders of the proscribed Garo tiol Liberation Army (GNLA) about the futility of their arm struggle, even as they vowed to be relentless in hunting down the spreading groups of the outfits in three districts of Garo Hills.

Buoyed by the spate of surrenders by GNLA and LAEF cadres following the Operation Hill Storm-3, the police categorically maintained that the rest of the fleeing groups under the command of Sohan D Shira, Hedeo, Baichung and Rupanto will come to terms with reality.

“We have the support of the civil society in our effort and any hardening of stand by these elements will have to be reciprocal in ture,” stated a well placed source involved in the operations. Already, multiple central armed forces have reached Garo Hills to aid the State Police in iling the four groups numbering around 40.

The groups who once camped in the Durama Forest have shifted base to South Garo Hills. They have divided into groups with no virtual network, informed a source. Spokesperson of the State Police, G H P Raju admitted about the other plan of operations, should the renegades fail to succumb to the carrot and stick policy adopted by the police. Thanking the Church and civil society group for convincing a couple of leaders belonging to the GNLA for being instrumental of igniting the idea of arm revolution, Raju was equivocal in his statement that an extra yard will be taken to neutralise these militant groups.

For the sake of peace in Garo Hills, the police are using every channel to reach to the militants. mes have not been divulged so far, but the source said that one the three top members of a disbanded Garo outfit was in the forefront.