Shillong, December 30: Even as it rued the killing of thirty-eight people in 2013 by insurgent groups operating in Garo hills, the newly formed A’chik Peace Volunteers Council (APVC) has vowed to bring back peace in the violence ridden Garo hill district.
In a statement issued on Monday, the APVC convener Che Guevara Marak said a group of fifteen youths recently held series of meetings to discuss the plunging law and order scenario in the Garo hills region and the increasing militancy related crimes and unanimously decided to form the APVC with the sole objective of working to bring back peace in the region.
According to Marak the continued killings, extortions, kidnappings and other crimes committed by the different militant outfits operating in the five districts of the region were done to instill fear among the people which would help the militants to carry out its nefarious activities.
Marak said that after detail analysis of the violence perpetrated by the militant groups the APVC has come to a conclusion that the militants in Garo hills have been simply doing business by using fear among the people as its investment. He said, “It is business with the blood of innocents.”
The APVC said, “Creation of terror in the minds of people is their (militants) investment. The release stated that the militants kill or abduct a trader or a businessman or a civilian and the entire trading community or business community or the civil society dances to their tune.” It said killing innocent people are the militants’ investment, which yields good return with crores of extorted money.
The APVC hey termed the militant groups as criminals and said should be punished according to the law of the land.
Marak also made it clear that the APVC mission is to establish peace in Garo hills and newly formed organization will achieve its objective through appeal and persuasion.
According to the APVC the banned militant outfit – Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), United Achik Liberation Army (UALA), Liberation Achik Elite Force (LAEF), Achik National Volunteers’ Council – Breakaway (ANVC-B) and many other splinter groups have committed heinous crimes in the past years.
Dishing out statistic the APVC release said that in 2013 alone, 38 lives including seven security personnel and thirty-one innocent lives were lost to insurgency related killings.
The statement also pointed out that among the victims of militancy were one assistant pastor, two Nokmas and two government officers.
The statement said a total of 14 traders and coal labourers were abducted for ransom and more than 5 innocents’ sustained injuries in militant attacks besides attacks on petrol pump, MPRO station, numerous trucks, police station, forest range office, DMR gate, MTC bus, markets, and private companies like BSC C&C.
The APVC also alleged that the militants also served demand notice even to church missionaries and a mere meat seller besides extorting crores of hard earned money from civilians.
The APVC vowed to reach out to every individual who is directly or indirectly assisting the militants. It said the organization will also approach all the village elders who are providing shelter to the militants, the mothers who are cooking food for them, the persons who are passing information to them, the businessmen who are paying money to them with which they procure weapons and grow stronger, the middlemen who stash their money, the officers who pay to them out of fear, and will appeal to them to stop assisting the militants in their “blood business.”
The APVC said, “We will not rest till peace is restored in the Garo Hills.”- By Our Reporter
2013 Garo Hills Crime Dairy
| DATE | EVENT (CRIME by Militants) |
| 27.12.13 | GNLA militants abducted and killed AlwinSangma of MegongA’kong village in Kharkutta. |
| 24.12.13 | Three armed rebels of GNLA entered Raja Apal village in North Garo Hills and shot dead a former cadre AldrinMarak. |
| 15.12.13 | GNLA killed two civilians near Gasuapara in South Garo Hills. The deceased identified as – Semion M Marak of Rongsigre and Sengwal D Sangma of Rongbokgre in South Garo Hills. |
| 11.12.13 | GNLA militants attacked the Tisha Auto Agency petrol station in Chasingre on the outskirts of Tura and opened indiscriminate fire from automatic rifles seriously injuring two employees. |
| 11.12.13 | GNLA militants attacked a relay station of the Meghalaya Police Radio Organization located at Darichekgre.While the two police radio operators managed to escape, the militants exploded two bombs inside the relay station destroying the equipment. |
| 11.12.13 | GNLA militants attacked two trucks transporting SWAT commandos in the Nangalbibra region of South Garo Hills District. One Commando was injured. |
| 11.12.13 | Two suspected militants killed an innocent man travelling with his wife was killed in cold blood simply because he failed to give way for their motorcycle in Rongjeng Area in East Garo Hills. |
| 06.12.13 | Newly formed GNLA(F) headed by Reading Sangma kidnapped a coal businessman, Akhtar Ali, who is married to a Garo lady, from Baghmara. |
| 05.12.13 | Suspected GNLA militants raided Samanda Megapgre village, 18 kms from Williamnagar town and took away at gunpoint Dilseng N Sangma (28) and Liping D Sangma (27) on Thursday night. Their bullet riddled bodies were recovered on Saturday morning from Patrang Samanda reserve forest. |
| 06.12.13 | A group of suspected GNLA militants murdered in cold blood a rice mill owner Onerson A Sangma (50) who was dragged out of his home in Oragitok village in West Garo Hills District. |
| 12.11.13 | Suspected GNLA militants attacked a limestone truck belonging to Virgo Cements at Darengre village on the outskirts of Tura. The truck was burnt down. |
| 10.11.13 | GNLA militants abducted a coal exporter JankingMarak from his residence in South Garo Hills region. |
| 11.11.13 | Over a dozen suspected GNLA militants barged into Tebronggre village market near Tikrikilla in West Garo Hills district and forcibly abducted three non-tribal traders at gunpoint on Monday. |
| 05.11.13 | Five including HavildarDondiramMarak, Constables BipulRabha ,MarshanstarNongdhar, UB constable, RakkiChSangma and driver of Fire service LekichyneRyngklem killed by GNLA in a well orchestrated ambush at Kolapara in South Garo Hills. Two AK rifles, one carbine and ammunition taken away. |
| 08.11.13 | Suspected ANVC-B militantsshot dead two BSF constables and snatched away their INSAS rifles at around 10.20 am on Friday near Kaithakona outpost in South West Garo Hills District. |
| 06.11.13 | Suspected GNLA militants on Wednesday abducted a coal merchant identified as Gopal Sharma from Rongjeng area of East Garo Hills. |
| 11.10.13 | Suspected United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) militants abducted a villager named MilardMarak (30) at Nengbrak village and later shot him dead in cold blood in Nangalbibra region of South Garo Hills on Friday night. |
| 08.10.13 | Suspected GNLA militants triggered IED blast at Chisobibra on Tuesday morning to attacking two police vehicles with armed security personnel that was travelling to Williamnagar town. The security personnel narrowly escaped the IED blast. The vehicles sustained minor damages. |
| 29.09.13 | In a bizarre incident, masked gunmen barged into separate houses and kidnapped three local labourers, JewelinMarak of BollonggreApal village, Green Marak and JimbaMarak of Ronggopgre village from their respective places close to the National Highway connecting Bajengdoba with Tura in North Garo Hills district on Sunday night. |
| 26.09.13 | GNLA militants shot dead NirmalSangma (35) of Awek Village near Shallang in West Khasi Hills District at his residence late Thursday night. |
| 24.09.13 | Just hours ahead of the two-day dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by the banned GNLA outfit in Garo Hills, suspected militants exploded a hand grenade at a stone crusher unit in Selbalgre, 22 kms from Tura, on Tuesday night. |
| 16.09.13 | In a barbaric incident that has sent shock waves across the region, suspected GNLA militants attacked a village in Garobadha region, 32 kms from Tura, shooting dead three persons, including two women, on Monday night. Smt. Sridina A Sangma, Shri. AnirudHajong, Smt. ChandrabalaHajong were killed and one girl identified as Ms. JetikaHajong sustained a bullet injury on her leg. |
| 15.09.13 | A vegetable grocer BishnuSaha (43) was shot at by unidentified militants in Garobadha market, yards from a police outpost, on Sunday evening. |
| 16.09.13 | Heavily armed United A’chik Liberation Army militants attacked the residence of an ANVC-B cadre Dokrakin Kusimkolgre locality of Williamnagar town of East Garo Hills lobbing grenades and opening fire from automatic weapons on Monday night. |
| 05.09.13 | The suspected militants of United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) headed by one Norrok X Momin lobbed a hand grenade inside Jadigittim market in South Garo Hills on Thursday afternoon. Several dozen people had a providential escape as it failed to explode. |
| 02.09.13 | A Nokma identified as Berung R Marak was abducted and killed in cold blood in Tikrikilla region on Monday night by suspected GNLA militants. |
| 03.09.13 | On Tuesday night, GNLA execution squad killed a GNLA deserter in East Garo Hills. |
| 12.08.13 | A fifty-year-old villager named DonjengChSangma was hacked and killed by a group of suspected militants on Monday night as he was returning home in Cheksagre village, 18 kms in the interior of Anogre under West Garo Hills. His body was found on the village road badly mutilated. |
| 12.08.13 | Suspected Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants shot dead a person — Hawart G Momin — at RongcheckAkong, about 12 kilometers from Rongjeng Police station, accusing him to be a police ‘informer’. |
| 09.08.13 | Suspected GNLA rebels shot dead a village elder named Simon ChMarakat in KoksiNensak village in East Garo Hills District. |
| 07.08.13 | Suspected GNLA militants triggered a powerful claymore IED blast at Nengkhra in East Garo Hills narrowly missing police vehicle on Wednesday morning. It was a providential escape for six police personnel travelling in a bullet proof truck. The intensity of the blast was such that it sent boulders crashing down from a hill above onto the road. |
| 25.06.13 | Suspected militants kidnapped a supervisor J Narayan Rai (60) engaged with the railway project in North Garo Hills from near Mendipather on Tuesday afternoon. |
| 16.06.13 | Suspected GNLA attacked WilliamnagrSadar Police Station in a daring act by lobbing a powerful IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) inside the compound. No human causalities. But there was damage to the building and vehicles parked nearby. |
| 12.06.13 | Suspected militants abducted and shot dead Assistant Pastor Previlson G Momin (50) of Ronggopgre Baptist Church, 5 kms from Rari. |
| 24.06.13 | The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) stooped to a new low with serving a demand note to the tune of Rs one crore five lakh to the St. Claret Mission based at Ampati in South West Garo Hills. |
| 05.06.13 | A Shillong bound Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) bus was torched by suspected armed GNLA cadres in North Garo Hills on Wednesday morning. Mark sheets, books, and other valuable documents of the students were destroyed in the fire as many of them could not carry the bags when they came out hurriedly. |
| 28.05.13 | Suspected militants abducted an Assam-based trader Mohd Ali (50) from Gokol village under Bajengdoba PS in North Garo Hills, when he was preparing to board a vehicle heading to Guwahati. |
| 27.05.13 | Suspected militants abducted a trader Mohibur Ali (40) from Paikan village near Krishnai who was shot dead near Chokpot after his family failed to pay ransom money of Rs 1.5 lakh. |
| 23.05.13 | Suspected GNLA militants on Thursday morning opened fired at the BSC C & C JV Company based at Swangre, West Khasi Hills leading to retaliation from police personal who were guarding the company premises. |
| 20.05.13 | In a shocking incident, suspected UALA militants shot dead five innocent coal labourers in retaliation for the quarry owner’s failure to pay up on time on Monday afternoon in Nangalbibra region of South Garo Hills. The coal quarry operated by one Amitabh Sangma at Darangdura, 10 kms from Nangalbira. |
| 06.05.13 | Suspected GNLA militants kidnapped Dipu Das, a manager of a coal export company operating from Gasuapara in South Garo Hills on Monday night. |
| 05.05.13 | A trader from Chokpot bazaar Satyanand Prasad (45) in South Garo Hills was shot dead by suspected GNLA militants not far from a police station during a botched kidnapping attempt on Sunday morning. |
| 08.04.13 | Suspected militants kidnapped the teenage son of a grocery trader from the Mendipather town on Monday night to demand ransom from the father. |
| 01.04.13 | Suspected ANVC-B militants numbering around twelve shot dead one Benjamin Marak of Rongbingre, Williamnagar, while the deceased was on a picnic with his brother and friend at MrikWari along the Simsang River in East Garo Hills. |
| 23.04.13 | Armed miscreants looted over 55 trucks on the Riangdo- Athiabari road in the wee hours of Tuesday.The incident occurred near Nongdiengkain village, 14 kms from Aradonga. |
| 12.03.13 | In a daring attack, suspected militants ambushed newly-elected MLA of Rongara-Siju, Rophul S Marak, on NH-62 near Dainadubi on Tuesday night while the legislator was on his way back to Tura from Shillong. |
| 13.01.13 | Suspected GNLA militants lobbed a grenade at range forest office compound at RongrengChidekgre, East Garo Hills on Sunday. Though the grenade exploded there was no casualty or damage. |
| 15.02.13 | Suspected GNLA militants shot dead a SpinderAreng,Nokma of Daribokgre near Nokrek Biosphere Reserve bordering East and West Garo Hills on Thursday evening. |
| 16.02.13 | On Friday afternoon, the susoected ANVC (B) militants fired in the air at Williamnagar market creating panic among the traders in the area. |
| 02.02.13 | In a daring attack, armed UALA cadres entered the Williamnagar jail premises and shot dead an assistant jailor Neil Warjri and warder Sarai Singh Thabahafter dragging them out of the office on Saturday night. |
| 01.02.13 | Suspected militants belonging to the GNLA targeted a government revenue collection point belonging to the Taxation-Directorate of Mineral Resources lobbing a hand grenade that failed to explode during the late evening hours of Friday in North Garo Hills district. |
| 31.01.13 | Suspected GNLA cadres on Thursday targeted Jonathon Sangma, an Independent candidate contesting from Williamanagar in East Garo Hills, during a public meeting held at atDawaSonggital, 10 km from Williamnagar. |
| 21.01.13 | Unidentified militants have shot dead a man and dumped his body next to the National Highway passing through Bajengdoba area of North Garo Hills district on Monday night. |
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