HNLC serves one-week deadline for closure of NPP offices in Khasi-Jaintia Hills

The outfit also served a one week ultimatum to the NPP for closing down all its offices in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region.

“We urged the people not to vote for the NPP in the bye election as a mark of protest against the gunning down of Cherish Thangkhiew,” HNLC general secretary-cum-publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Thangkhiew, a former self-styled general secretary of the HNLC, was allegedly killed in a raid conducted by the police on August 13.

Nongtraw said national parties come and go in Meghalaya but none of them can truly serve the people of the state.

“I feel the national parties are just like a rainbow coalition and that they can never address the problems faced by the state,” he said while asserting “Therefore, we need our own regional parties which can deliver and fulfill the aspirations of the people.”

The outfit leader further announced that the NPP is asked to close down all its offices in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region starting from today onwards. “We will give only one week’s time to complete the exercise,” he added.

On the other hand, the HNLC has termed the police claim that Emanuel Suchen had recently surrendered in Khliehriat, East Jaintia Hills District as a “drama”.

“Six months ago, Suchen was arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in the IED blast. After he was released, the police again conducted searches and even threatened him to the extent that he had to go underground and recently decided to surrender,” Nongtraw alleged.

He also claimed that Suchen was never involved in the planting of IED bomb as alleged by the state police.

“The state police just because they failed to gather enough evidence in regards to the IED cases, have resorted to random arrest of former cadres of the HNLC as well as innocent youths as if they are chickens in a farm but it is not easy to arrest cadres of the outfit. Such kind of arrest only shows that they (police) are weak and are at the receiving end,” Nongtraw stated.