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Meghalaya : Crackdown on rebels to continue |
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Meghalaya has resolved to continue with the crackdown on militant activity in its territory, irrespective of the group involved and the status of the peace process it might be engaged in.
In a statement on July 15, the authorities said there were “no instructions to stop operations against militants”. Home Minister R.G. Lyngdoh was equally stern in his remarks on the outcry over the offensive against Ulfa. “The government cannot look the other way if there are any antisocial activities. When someone is behaving like a dacoit or if any group carries arms illegally, the law will take its own course,” he said.
The statement came two days after the army killed four ULFAmilitants in East Garo Hills district, inviting protests from at least two groups in neighbouring Assam.
The United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), the dominant militant group in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, is one of the outfits troubling Meghalaya. There are reports of Karbi militants targeting residents of villages along the Assam-Meghalaya border for extortion.
On reports that the encounter between the army and ULFAmilitants in Meghalaya on Tuesday had brought the peace process in Assam under a cloud, Lyngdoh said: “If the Assam government writes to us or even if the People’s Consultative Group (a team of Ulfa-appointed mediators) or the outfit itself writes to us that there should not be any offensive against militants because of the peace process, we will certainly examine the proposal.
The Home Minister said the Rymbai government was particularly concerned about the UPDS. “Even the UPDS is in ceasefire, but it has been causing disturbances along our border with Assam,” he said. The NDFB, too, has hideouts in the Garo hills.
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