Regrouping of Meghalaya militants puts security forces on high alert

SHILLONG: After reports of the militant outfit Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) regrouping and recruiting cadres into its fold, the Meghalaya police have alerted the security forces in five districts in the western Garo Hills region, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior police officer said that Meghalaya DGP L.R. Bishnoi has asked the district superintendents of police and other concerned officials of the five districts to verify the ground situation and confirm if the GNLA is regrouping and recruiting new cadres.

The reports from the district SPs are expected within a week, the officer said, adding that directions have been given to the district police to keep a close watch on the activities of the surrendered GNLA cadres.

Various media reports quoting intelligence sources have said that over 500 youth from various districts of the Garo Hills region in western Meghalaya have joined the GNLA and have been sent to Nagaland and Myanmar for training. Some big businessmen, who were close associates of the GNLA, are aiding the outfit to regroup, as the reports suggested.

The Meghalaya government had formed a 10-company-strong counter-insurgency force in 2014 to deal with the militants. Since then, it has neutralised several top insurgents in the region, including the GNLA’s self-styled commander-in-chief, Sohan D. Shira, in February 2018. Many GNLA cadres surrendered in batches in 2017 and 2018. (IANS)

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