Meghalaya Timeline - 2008

Date	Incident
January 20	An 'area commander' of the ULFA, identified as Madan Koch, is shot dead by security force personnel when they neutralised a hideout at Katalbari near Garobadha in the West Garo Hills district. Two packets of RDX, a pistol with two magazines and some ammunition were recovered from the incident site. Madan Koch used to reportedly oversee the shipment of explosives and weapons from across Bangladesh passing through Garo Hills enroute to the neighbouring State of Assam. One ANVC cadre, Dorang G. Momin, is arrested by the Meghalaya police personnel when they neutralised a hideout at Tarajak village in the West Khasi Hills district. However, 10 militants, including two persons belonging to the Naga community, manage to escape from the incident site. An AK-47 rifle and an M-16 rifle, other arms and ammunition were recovered from the hideout.
January 24	The 'publicity secretary' of the HNLC, Sainkupar Nongtraw, accuses some politicians of playing the 'religious card' to win the elections. The outfit asked the church bodies to initiate steps to prevent such activities.
January 26	The HNLC calls for a 24-hour strike in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in protest against the celebration of the Republic Day.
February 4	Telegraph reports that the HNLC has renewed its alliance with the NSCN-IM, to cope with a spate of desertions from its ranks in recent times. An unnamed senior police official said that the HNLC leadership had sought the help of NSCN-IM to keep its cadres together.
February 6	Six suspected ULFA militants were arrested by the security forces at Dainadubi in the Mendipathar area of East Garo Hills district. Police said they were arrested from an Assam-bound bus coming from Jadigitim village in South Garo Hills.
February 16	Two women bomb experts of the ULFA, identified as Kalti Rava and Tejimala Rava, and their sympathiser, Lovison Sangma, are arrested by police personnel from Bangsi Donggre village in the East Garo Hills district bordering Assam. They reportedly belong to the ‘109th battalion’ of the ULFA in Garo Hills. Two Chinese hand grenades, gelatine sticks, detonator, six high frequency radio handsets, digital dairy, a mobile, ULFA rubber stamps and a medical book were recovered from their possession.
February 27	A civilian, Ian Shadap, is shot at and wounded by unidentified gunmen at Barato in the Jaintia Hills district. Normal life in the capital Shillong and other parts of the State is affected due to a general strike called by the HNLC in protest against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Meghalaya.
February 28	The ANVC said that it will remain neutral in the Legislative Assembly elections scheduled to be held on March 3, 2008. In a letter signed by ‘chairman’ Dilash Marak alias S. M. Marak, the outfit stated: "Rumours will always be there and the ANVC respect and recognise the people's 'Right' to choose their own representatives and shall remain neutral as far as the 2008 assembly elections are concerned."
February 29	The Congress party candidate Mukul Sangma complained to the Returning Officer that the ANVC and police are aiding the National Congress Party candidates from Ampati constituency in the Garo Hills.
March 9	The 'commander-in-chief' of the ANLF, identified as Nobin Marak alias Scorpion, and another cadre of the outfit are lynched by an angry mob for trying to extort money at Cheran village in the East Garo Hills district.
March 10	Governor S.S. Sidhu swears in Congress Legislature Party leader D.D. Lapang as the Meghalaya Chief Minister.
March 12	Militants of the LAEF demand INR ten million as ransom for releasing the abducted manager of a grocery shop, Devendar Prajati, who was abducted from his residence in Rongjeng in the East Garo Hills District on March 10-night.
March 14	The surrendered HNLC militants decide to ask the Meghalaya Government for general amnesty. The decision was taken at the first meeting of the surrendered militants, chaired by its former chairman Julius Dorphang, at Mawlong. "We have decided to urge the Centre and the state to grant general amnesty to all the surrendered HNLC militants. We want the government to provide a better rehabilitation package to prevent them from going astray," Dorphang said. There are more than 100 surrendered HNLC militants in capital Shillong.
March 15	Two persons, identified as Lalmoia Hrangkhol and Jave Kamei hailing from the North Cachar Hills district of Assam, are arrested at Mawlai in the capital Shillong for having links with the Black Widow (BW) militants. Police said an amount of INR 490,000 was also recovered from them.
March 18	Two persons are arrested from Cherragaon in the Borsora area of West Khasi Hills district for allegedly helping Naga militants to extort money from coal exporters. They were identified as Silin N Sangma and Hiruth A Sangma.
March 19	One HNLC militant, identified as Gedolf Nongrem of Mawkhar, surrenders before the Border Security Force (BSF) at the Umsyiem border outpost near Dawki. During interrogation, Nongrem told the BSF that he, along with five others, was lured by one HNLC activist Lungtung of Mawlai to join the banned outfit and had undergone arms training at an HNLC camp in Chittagong, Bangladesh. "I left for Bangladesh in June 2003 and underwent training along with others, including eight female activists, at an HNLC camp in Chittagong," Nongrem said.
March 26	One policeman is wounded when the LAEF militants opened fire on a police party at Dagal in the East Garo Hills district.
March 27	Two HNLC militants, Vicky Majaw and Leader, are shot dead by Meghalaya Police during an encounter at Umkiang in the Jaintia Hills district. However, three NLFT militants who along with the HNLC militants opened fire on the police personnel manage to escape from the encounter site. Three LAEF cadres, Zwing D. Marak, Bilseng G. Momin and Lambor Puwein, were arrested during a search operation at Rongkhukre in the West Khasi Hills district. During interrogation, they confessed their involvement in many cases of extortion in the coal belt areas of district in the last few months. A .22 revolver, four rounds of live ammunition, two daggers and a torch were seized from their possession. Two persons, identified as Neston P. Sangma and Jingan R. Sangma, are arrested during a search operation at Riangdim near Borsora for providing shelter to LAEF militants who were extorting money from coal exporters in West Khasi Hills. The HNLC ‘camp commander’ at Chittagong Hill Tract, Syrpailin Mawlong, is arrested at Umkiang in the Jaintia Hills district.
March 30	The Superintendent of Police (Special Branch), Claudia A. Lyngwa, while terming the HNLC as "an organisation of a few vested interests," said that deteriorating cadre strength of the outfit had forced it to join hands with the Tripura-based NLFT. She stated that the outfit's cadre strength could be between 70 and 80, including a few senior members camping in Bangladesh.
April 1	One LAEF cadre, identified as Salman Sangma, is arrested by the Meghalaya Police from Shahlang in the West Khasi Hills district.
April 3	Meghalaya Police arrested six persons, including rangbah shnongs (members of the traditional local-self government institutions) and businessmen, from different parts of the Jaintia Hills district for their suspected links with the HNLC. They were identified as Phon Syih, Welcome Dkhar, Lambha Dhar, Susil Dkhar, Pyntngen Bareh and Rangbahduh Khonglah. According to police sources, they were arrested following confession of the HNLC militants who were arrested during the recent encounter at Wahlymbong. They are accused of giving shelter, money and other goods to the HNLC cadres. Two arrested HNLC cadres, Willender Diengdoh Marngar and Riskin Phawa, had reportedly collected INR 50000 from them.
April 7	One ANVC militant, Amjad A. Sangma, is arrested by the Meghalaya Police during a search operation at Williamnagar in the East Garo Hills district.
April 23	Three persons, including two LAEF cadres, are booked under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act. They were recently arrested from Riangdo in the West Khasi Hills district for carrying out extortion drives in the coal belt areas. They are identified as Tipison G. Marak, Nihim G. Momin and Brimly Myrthong.
May 3	One LAEF militant, Satjeng M. Sangma, surrenders before the Williamnagar Police.
May 4	Security forces arrested Walter R. Sangma, personal bodyguard of the slain ‘chairman’ of the LAEF Peter Marak, at Sarangkol village in the Bajengdoba area. He confessed to having killed Peter in a hideout near Songsak in December 2007 over an argument about the share of looted money.
May 7	Meghalaya Police neutralised a transit camp of the ULFA after an encounter with cadres of the outfit at Bilbot near Malangkona village in the West Khasi Hills district along Meghalaya-Assam border. Six US-made hand grenades and demand notes with the signature of ‘commandant of 109 battalion’ of the ULFA Guilt Das were recovered from the encounter site.