Post-attack, security reviewed in Garo Hills

Meghalaya Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee and DGP B K Dey Sawian met the Chief Minister D D Lapang today and briefed him on the law and order situation in the two..

Meghalaya Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee and DGP B K Dey Sawian met the Chief Minister D D Lapang today and briefed him on the law and order situation in the two districts8212;West and East of Garo Hills. Both Chatterjee and Sawian went to Garo Hills immediately after the twin grenade attacks8212;in Tura supermarket and Nangalbibra8212;killed two people and injured 11.

Three suspects have been arrested and interrogations are on to find out more about the attacks.

The blasts left Meghalaya in a state of shock as the convenor of a newly floated Liberation A8217;chik Elite Force LAEF, Chingnam Marak, claimed responsibility for the attacks. He told a local daily, 8220;This is our introduction to the Meghalaya Government that we mean business.8221; He said that the outfit had initially planned to carry out blasts in six different places but called off on the order of the outfit commander-in-chief.

The sudden rise of a new militant outfit in Garo Hills has increased security concerns in the state. Security cover had been decreased after the banned A8217;chik National Volunteers Council had entered into a ceasefire with the Government. After the attack, the district administrations in the two Garo Hills districts have demanded more forces.

West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Sampath Kumar said intelligence has been strengthen and termed the attacks as an 8220;act of cowardice.8221; It is said that the LAEF has about 135 members and armed with sophisticated weapons. Kumar, however, said that he is still waiting for feedback from the police on the outfit8217;s organisational strength and the type of weapons it possess. It is quite possible that the LAEF is equipped with Chinese grenade which only the army have.

Kumar said the LAEF is active in the coal belt area of Garo hills. According to the police the outfit extorts money from coal traders and businessmen that enables it to buy weapons. Police also don8217;t rule out the newly floated militants outfit having links with ULFA as the latter is known to use Garo hills as a hiding place and a corridor to enter and exit Bangladesh.

Yesterday Chatterjee and Sawian met traders in Tura and discussed with them the security arrangement. Sawian said, 8220;It was a confidence building exercise to send a message to the trading community that the Government and the forces are committed to their security.8221;

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The police strategy is to cut off the outfit8217;s financial sources by taking the business community into confidence so that they can turn to the police whenever the outfit serves them with demand note.

Sawian, however, refuse to give them a tag of 8220;militant8221; or 8220;insurgent8221; and said they were a pack of criminals who wanted to make quick money. He said, 8220;Why should they attack only business hub if they were ideologically grounded.8221;