Incidents and Statements involving Achik National Volunteer Council: 2016

Date

Nature of incident

March 14

Shillong

One person, Entli Nongbri of Kulang village and member of Lumlang Hashah gang, involved in cases of extortion in South West Khasi Hills District surrendered before the SP South West Khasi Hills Herbert G Lyngdoh. It may be mentioned that Hashah was formerly an ANVC cadre which was formally disbanded in 2014. He also deposited one a 7.65 pistol and four live ammunitions.

Shillong

The ANVC expressed its displeasure over the alleged failure of the Meghalaya government in adhering to the agreed text of settlement signed in September 2014. Former ANVC chairman Dilash M. Marak and his personal adviser Saileng R. Marak, who led a delegation to New Delhi, submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through officials of the MHA. "We are aggrieved and agitated by the negative attitude and the shabby treatment meted out to our dissolved revolutionary group by the Meghalaya government," the memorandum said. It said after 10 years of protracted negotiations, the outfit signed the agreement. "The final and binding but cunningly worded settlement was signed without an opportunity given to us to study the text," it alleged. They also alleged that the agreed text of settlement was unlike that of the memorandum of settlement signed with the UPDS and Bodo outfits. "The agreed text for settlement did not even follow the finer technicalities of a civilised memorandum of settlement," it said. Marak said even after 19 months of signing the agreement, not a single step has been taken to honour the "diluted" provision of the agreed text, including the promised rehabilitation package. They also submitted a six-page indication on the failures of the different departments in Meghalaya. "Meghalaya was born with a silver spoon when it was carved out of Assam. Forty years is enough to achieve nirvana but even after 44 years of statehood, the state has failed to govern and manage its affairs," the memorandum said.

Meghalaya

Though the State Government has entered into an agreement with UALA leading to its disbandment on June 9 coupled with a series of surrender of LAEF and GNLA militants in last month, the government is yet to fulfill the demands of ANVC and ANVC-B militants as per the agreed text of settlement. Moreover, the disbanded ANVC and ANVC-B cadres are yet to get the one time financial package of INR 1.5 lakh per cadre and the pending stipend of INR.3, 500 per month for almost two years, report said. More than 300 cadres of ANVC and ANVC-B will avail the package which means that the State Government will have liabilities of crores of rupees. Other surrendered cadres of LAEF, GNLA and UALA are also supposed to get the same package thereby bringing additional burden to the State exchequer, report added.

Meghalaya

Former 'publicity secretary' of ANVC, Arist Sangma, said that there was no communication from the Government regarding various pending demands of the organization. While the State government is yet to disburse the one time financial package of Rs.1.5 lakh per cadre, Rs.3,500 monthly stipend per cadre has been pending for long, he said. When contacted, a State government official said the matter is pending with the Police headquarters, he added. According to the former militant leader, even now if the government is not keen on fulfilling the pending demands, this will send a wrong message to many cadres of other militant groups who are still in the jungle as they will be reluctant to come forward to join the mainstream.

West Garo Hills District

A delegation of cadres belonging to the now-disbanded ANVC led by Doreng Malja Sangma, its former political secretary has called upon the DC of West Garo Hills District for an immediate release of the one-time financial package for the ex-ANVC cadres. In a meeting held with the DC Pravin Bakshi in West Garo Hills District, the former cadres also sought that the fund should be credited into their SBI accounts. "We have been informed that our one time financial package is in civil deposit for more than two months and not yet released even though all process and formalities have been cleared from Police headquarters in Shillong," said Malja. He expressed frustration being felt by the former cadres over the delay in the release of the package for almost about two years now. He also alleged that there was no news on their sustenance money which the government promised to give at the rate of INR 3,500 every month from the time of disbanding ceremony till the deliverance of the rehabilitation package. The DC assured the former ANVC members that the rehabilitation package would be released soon. Further, he stated that skill development for the cadres would be initiated by the Meghalaya Government shortly.

Angered at the continued delay in the release of their rehabilitation packages, the former 'chairman' of the now disbanded ANVC-B, Bernard N Marak met Home Minister, HDR Lyngdoh at the Circuit House in Shillong apprising him of the situation. Marak also apprised the Home Minister of fake members of the outfit who were posing as ANVC-B officers and trying to divide the group by facilitating the deserters who surrendered to the government in the ANVC-B list. The outfit requested the Home Minister to hold meetings to clarify any issues in processing the packages which according to the release of former 'general secretary' and the Home Minister agreed to consider the same. However, Marak further hit out at the State Government after the Home Minister stated that he was unaware of the status of the delay in rehabilitation of the former cadres of the outfit.

"Our Chairman apprised him of the unwarranted delay of the rehabilitation packages sanctioned by the central government. While the Home Minister assured to look into the matter immediately, he also said he would check the status of the package with the Home Department. It is rather surprising that the Home Minister was unaware of the delay and the status of the package was not known to him," said former ANVC-B 'general secretary', Jakrik Wareng. Wareng further alleged that political leaders of Garo Hills are being kept in the dark about issues facing the region. "It is also surprising he did not even receive our distress letters. Something seems to be very wrong in the system," added Wareng.

Shillong

Former members of the ANVC-B lashed out at the State Government for not being invited to be a part of the skill development training programme organised by the State. The outfit's former 'general secretary', Jakrik Momin, lashed out at the State Government on allegations of manipulation in their rehabilitation package. "We were not invited to the skill development programme because they wanted to leave us out of the rehabilitation package. The state government has been delaying and manipulating our package over the past two years and it continues to do so," Momin said. "Our cadres (ANVC-B) did not surrender but came forward to join the mainstream after signing the Agreed Text for Settlement. Our brothers surrendered but it was with pride and honour that we signed the agreement unlike other groups. We are firm in our stand of not stooping to manipulations of the state officials and that is why our package is still delayed," Momin said. The former cadres, however, expressed hope of progress in the issue related to their rehabilitation.

In a statement, the disbanded ANVC-B threatened to work against the Indian National Congress party led Meghalaya MUA-II Government in the upcoming 2018 assembly elections in Garo Hills area. In the statement the ANVC-B alleged that the Government had not respected the peace agreement signed by them and the State Government including the Central Government of India. The statement further accused the State Government that they had been trying to 'create division' between the 'leadership' and the general cadres of the ANVC-B.