North Garo Hills police has task cut out

Staff Correspondent

Shillong, Nov 30: North Garo Hills district Police have not given up the search for abducted head constable Kamaraj Bhattarai even as it grapples with public pressure on the gunning down of two innocent civilians by the army last week.

Kamaraj Bhattarai was abducted more than three weeks ago en route from Dudnoi (Assam) to Songsak in East Garo Hills. Rays of hope within the intelligence-gathering groups have diminished but the top police officials refused to comment. “We are still searching the 20-km radius around Dagal, Thapadengchi and Dabil,” stated a district police official even as he added that the other individual who was abducted and subsequently released could not give any clues on the direction in which the police head constable was taken after the early morning abduction. Even as an official fincial reward was announced by the police to any individual about providing leads to the possible whereabouts of the abducted policeman, none has come forward, disclosed a police source. The BSF tracker dogs were also pressed into operations but no significant information could be garnered. Besides the police are having a big task ahead of Tuesday’s public rally at Kharkutta in North Garo Hills district called in protest against the alleged brutal killings of two innocents by the Goalpara-based unit of the army. Sources from the area said that the residents are expected to be strident in denouncing the Wednesday night killings of the two innocents in the me of counter-insurgency routine.