TURA, NOV 10: As the possibility of imposition of the Armed Force (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) by the union government looms large in Garo hills, the Meghalaya police have finally pull up its sock and decided to prepare a ‘crime map’ and also provide police escorts to public transport plying through militants prone areas in the region.
The Meghalaya high court had recently directed the union home ministry to weigh the possibility of enforcing AFSPA in Garo hills to control killings, kidnappings and extortions by militants.
Meghalaya director general of police (DGP) Rajiv Mehta on Tuesday directed SPs of Garo hills to prepare “crime maps” indicating hotspots in each district, which are prone for kidnapping and extortion by militants.
Mehta held meeting with all the SPs of five districts at Tura, which was attended by DIG western range FD Sangma.
“Special preventive policing steps are being initiated in crime prone hot spots to dominate and deny opportunity for militants and criminal committing kidnappings and extortions”, said GHP Raju, inspector general of police (operations).
Raju informed that in all vulnerable routes along national highways and state highways across Garo hills, all private vehicles would be given provision for escort to their destination. “All public are urged to cooperate with police in the exercise”, Raju added.
He also informed that direction has been issued by DGP to police across Garo hills to ensure police escort to all civilian vehicles plying after pooling them as convoy. On a regular interval, militants had unleashed terror activities along several routes of Garo hills.
The Tura – Dalu – Baghmara road is one of the most vulnerable route, where over 20 kidnapping have taken place this year alone.
In today’s meeting, SPs of Garo hills presented report on the counter insurgency operation being carried out across the region to neutralize militant activities. The DGP was also briefed about force availability in each district of Garo hills. Raju said, “The effective use and deployment of forces were discussed”.
The meeting also dwelt on the issue of black SIM cards, which are being used by militants and criminals for serving extortion calls. “In all the kidnappings and extortion in Garo hills area, all militants and criminals have used pre-activated SIM cards originated from Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura”, he said.
Yesterday a person was apprehended during frisking at 2nd Meghalaya battalion Goeragre for possession of 60 unauthorized SIM cards. On interrogation, he revealed that the cards were meant for Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).-From Our Correspondent
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