Meghalaya: HNLC claims responsibility for IED blast, warns political class against betraying tribal interests

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has claimed full political responsibility for the IED explosion at the residence of Nehlang Lyngdoh in Umsning, Ri Bhoi District, terming it a “symbolic protest” against what it described as the continued betrayal of the Jaidbynriew by “corrupt politicians and businessmen” who allegedly empower non-tribal interests at the expense of the indigenous community.

In a statement issued by its general secretary, Sainkupar Nongtraw, the outfit said the incident was intended to remind “all present and former elected representatives that the trust of the Jaidbynriew is not a privilege to be sold or traded.” The HNLC accused certain political leaders of “sheltering non-tribal settlers, facilitating land transfers, and supporting outside interests that threaten the future of the Hynniewtrep.”

The statement described such actions as “acts of political treason” and warned that the group would “expose every act of corruption, name and shame those who collude with outsiders, and ensure that the people are fully aware of who among them have chosen greed over loyalty.”

Recalling past incidents, the outfit claimed that in 2004 it had planted an IED at the SP’s office in Shillong that was later kept undisclosed by police “out of embarrassment,” and cited another 2021 operation at the Khliehriat police reserve that allegedly resulted in casualties.

Concluding the statement, Nongtraw asserted that “political authority must be rooted in the will of the people, not in the favor of outsiders,” warning that those who act against the Jaidbynriew would “lose the moral right to claim leadership,” and that the HNLC retains the “military capability to confront selfish politicians, whether in power or not.”

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