SHILLONG, JUNE 6: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the mushrooming of new militant outfits in Garo hills region are without any specific demands or ideologies but are engaged mostly in extortions, kidnapping and other criminal activities.
Sangma told the assembly during the question hour on Friday, “The major outfits operating in the Garo hills region have been demanding for a separate Garoland, while the mushrooming new outfits are mostly groups of deserters from the ANCV and GNLA.”.
According to Sangma, the deserters who have formed splinter groups are mostly engaged in extortions, kidnapping and other criminal activities with no specific demands or ideologies.
Sangma informed that there are ten militant outfits operating in the state. While, the HNLC which is operating in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region is a banned outfit for it secessionist ideologies, the other nine are operating in Garo hills region.
Answering to a query by Opposition leader Donkupar Roy, Sangma also informed, some of the outfits have access to state of the art weapons like the under barrel grenade launchers which even the state police does not have. He said, “However, no definitive information is available about the number of weapons acquired by each outfits.”
Giving the strength details of the outfits, Sangma informed the house that there are around 40 HNLC cadres, ANVC – which are in a ceasefire-163 cadres, GNLA formed in 2010 have around 200 cadres with about 110 new recruits, ANVC (B) has 151 cadres, ASAK, 50-60 cadres ANUF – 10 cadres, ATF – formed in January this year has 10 cadres and ANLCA has five cadres.
Sangma however said that the problem of militancy in the state is complex as it is interlinked with various other reasons.
“We have constraints of security forces, fire power, infrastructures like roads, response time.”
Sangma also said that there is also a tendency on the part of the youths to be lured into militancy. Citing an example he said that in the past there were members from the police who have joined militant groups.
Sangma concluded his reply by saying, “It is not only lack of employment for them to join the militants groups but because it is an approach to have easy access to money.” – By Our Reporter
