Deputy Inspector General of Police (TAP) Claudia Lyngwa on Tuesday said the doors are still open for peace talks with the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
She however said that the mobile phone of the arrested HNLC’s PSO Storgy Lyngdoh has revealed that lots of extortion demands were made on a lot of people.
Speaking to media persons, Lyngwa said Storgy Lyngdoh had sneaked into Meghalaya from Bangladesh and was arrested by the East Khasi Hills police. He was part of the peace talks.
“There is nothing from our side that this peace talks will not continue, it will still continue and the doors will always open,” she said.
Asked about reports claiming that Lyngdoh had come to Meghalaya to surrender, the DIG said, “The person had gone to Bangladesh and that is clearly understood if he had wanted to surrender, he was always here in Shillong while the government is talking so from our point of view going back to Bangladesh and coming back from Bangladesh, what does that imply, I leave it to your understanding.”
She said, “There were no demand notes served by him to the people but from his phone, alot of contact numbers were seen and they were all demands to various people.”
Stating that the investigation will continue and not stop, Lyngwa however said, “Peace talks will go on and if anybody commits a crime then of course we have to take action against them.”
Further, the DIG informed that as per information, the HNLC’s strength is hardly 20-30. “However, we will not be able to say what kinds of weapons they have over there but here they have very few weapons,” she said.
Majority of the people receiving the demand notes do not file complaints with the police.
On steps taken to instill confidence in the people,, Lyngwa said, “Our job is policing and whatever information that comes to us we act straight away that itself should instill confidence in the people. From the time that the HNLC had started in Meghalaya, the police have worked endlessly. We have sacrificed so many police lives in this fight so that itself and the way the eastern part of the state as of today I am sure you have seen the amount of tourists that are coming all this has changed the face of Meghalaya – that is because police have done alot of hardwork and sacrifice police in this. That should instill enough confidence in our people.”
Meanwhile, the DIG has warned that people, who are donating or contributing to the HNLC will be liable as at the end of the day that is against the law.
To another question, Lyngwa said, “The question of surrender doesn’t arise, they are already in peace talks so we are talking with them and the door is always open, we have never ever expressed any unwillingness, we have always been there to talk.”
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