(ANVC) of the Achikland of West Meghalaya, have made their presence felt and even gained support for their ideologies for the protection of the interests of the indigenous people of the state and furthermore to gain maximum political autonomy, even to the extent of sovereignty. The popularity of these militant organisations however dropped because of the style of functioning, especially in issuing demand notes for financial support and the underlying threat that goes along with these demands. Another major factor for their decline is the unrest among the rank and file which had led to desertions even of front line leaders. The state government had taken advantage of the situation and had been able to persuade most of the cadre to leave the organisation in what the government has termed ‘joining the mainstream’ and the cadre were offered self supporting opportunities for turning over a new leaf.

The activities of the militants and their forays had always gained much space in the media and also in the debates in the State Legislative Assembly. Only in the last session of the Assembly, the State Home Minister H. Donkupar R. Lyngdoh had stated that during the period between January 2010 till date the new militant outfit of the state namely the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) had killed 25 civilians and injured 3 others besides killing 10 police personnel and injuring 8 others. The Home Minister had admitted that militancy in the state was further supplemented by the porous international border with Bangladesh.

Concern was also expressed by the government that the police – population ratio was only 110 police personnel per one lakh population. The present strength of the Meghalaya Police is 13,394 which is far below the national average. In spite of these drawbacks, the police had continued its sustained fight against militancy and during the last one year, the police had arrested 156 militants, 31 of them were killed and another 65 had surrendered with arms and ammunition besides the recovery of sophisticated arms.

Though from time to time hardcore GNLA members have surrendered because of the pressure and encounters with the police, yet the spine of their resistance is yet to be broken. Many a time, top leaders of the GNLA had given police the slip which includes the big chief Sohan D Shira at a time when the militants were engaged in an encounter with the Special Weapons and Tactics Commandos and also the Central Reserve Police Force’s COBRA wing.

The Central Government in January this year has categorized the GNLA as a terrorist organisation for carrying out outlawed activities including the killing of civilians, rampant extortion and abduction of business persons. Formed in 2010, the militant outfit is active in three western Garo Hills districts and also in pockets of the bordering West Khasi Hills district which is a coal bearing area. The threat to the coal mine owners and miners in the West Khasi Hills has evoked retaliation by the people under the banner of the Hynniewtrep Peoples Revolution Front (HPRF) headed by its Chairman Jopthiaw Lyngdoh. This Hynniewtrep outfit had vowed to protect the rights of the indigenous people and to even sacrifice their lives for this cause. Besides pressure from the police forces, the GNLA is now facing resistance from the people of West Khasi Hills, thus limiting its area of operation in militancy activities.

In any militancy or any other problem, there is always room for talks for a solution to be arrived at. Yet in Meghalaya, such talks have never got the right direction, whether it is with the HNLC or the ANVC.

However, it was an embarrassment to the state government and the police when GNLA rebels were seen shopping at the Daranggri market in broad daylight wearing fatigues and carrying sophisticated weapons. The GNLA has therefore acted with impunity, challenging the effectiveness and claims of the government that the GNLA was feeling the heat of counter – terrorist operations. The police have been conducting search operations and destroying militant camps. However, the police force has to strengthen the intelligence machinery if it is to win the hide and seek game played by the militants who are always on the prowl and ready to ambush the police personnel.

The GNLA cadre have also given the police commandos the slip in some unexpected circumstances when they had occupied and stayed in a government inspection bungalow in East Garo Hills at Gaangpara. The ensuing police raid resulted only in the recovery of a laptop, digital cameras and some vaccine.

The GNLA however is finding itself in a tight spot as the Border Security Force Personnel are on the alert to cut all supply routes and communications across the border with Bangladesh. The GNLA have however started using the elephant corridor to cross the international border making it difficult for the security forces to track down and tackle the militants effectively. These routes pass through the most difficult terrain of the international border especially in Garo Hills.

The question now is whether the GNLA can withstand the mounting armed forces of the police and para – military personnel and above all, how much do the people of Achik land support the ideology of having a separate homeland of the Garo people whether inside or outside the Constitutional framework. Regardless of the presence or absence of such support, the answer is not through militancy but rather through a democratic expression of the people themselves for a separate Garo or Achik land without the intervention of guns and bloodshed.

In any militancy or any other problem, there is always room for talks for a solution to be arrived at. Yet in Meghalaya, such talks have never got the right direction, whether it is with the HNLC or the ANVC. Talks with the GNLA can not come about until and unless there is the laying down of arms by the militants who would, as the Chief Minister has said, face the might of sophisticated weaponry to wipe out the last remnants of terrorism.

The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram observed that there had been a decline in militant related violence during 2011. However, he said that there lies a more worrying narrative which is spread and the reach of some adversaries and their success in augmenting their weaponry and their military capabilities. The militants do not recognise any state boundaries and it is primarily the state which should tackle them with all the help from the Centre.

Sumar Sing Sawian