Meghalaya has witnessed an almost continuous diminution in trends in militant violence since 2003, with a slight discontinuity in 2006. The years 2007 and 2008 saw the progressive marginalization of militant formations in the State, even as overall fatalities declined by 50 percent. While militancy-related incidents increased almost three fold, there was a complete absence of any civilian fatality in 2008. A total of 12 fatalities, including a Security Forces (SF) trooper and 11 militants, were recorded.
2001
2002
Militancy related incidents were reported from all of Meghalaya's seven Districts in 2008. While the East Garo Hills was the most affected District, with 20 recorded incidents, West Khasi Hills had 17 and Jaintia Hills had 15. Recorded incidents in East Khasi Hills, West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills and Ri-Bhoi were 13, 11, 2 and 1 respectively.
The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database records that a total of 105 militants were neutralised in Meghalaya in 2008. Of these, 78 were arrested, 15 surrendered and 11 others were killed.
The proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), the most potent militant group representing the majority Khasi tribe operated in West Khasi Hills, East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Ri-Bhoi Districts in 2008. Extortion targeting coal exporters and managers of various cement plants in the West Khasi Hills and related abductions constituted the bulk of HNLC's activities. The outfit, which has been described as an "organisation of a few vested interests" by the Meghalaya Police, currently has an estimated strength of 70 to 80 cadres, a bulk of whom, along with the group's leadership, are based in Bangladesh. Surrendered cadres, however, put the number of active cadres at 182.
According to the SATP database, a total of 39 HNLC militants were neutralised in 2008. Of these, 25 were arrested, 11 surrendered and two were killed in an encounter with Meghalaya Police personnel at Umkiang in the Jaintia Hills District on March 27. The surrender of cadres was primarily the result of the hard living conditions in facilities in Bangladesh. On May 16, four HNLC cadres were arrested by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at Joshitilla village in the Dhalai District of Tripura. These cadres had deserted their camp in the Moulavibazaar District of Bangladesh following acute shortages of food and medicine, and were trying to enter India through Tripura.
Deteriorating cadre strength has forced the HNLC to join hands with the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), with which its runs an extortion network in the West Khasi Hills. The HNLC is also believed to have renewed its alliance with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), particularly to retain control over HNLC cadres on the verge of surrender.
Purportedly representing the Garo tribe, the Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) is under an extended cease-fire agreement with the Union Government since July 23, 2004. The group, however, continues to engage in extortion in the West Khasi Hills, East Garo Hills and South Garo Hills Districts. Like the HNLC, the ANVC cadres have also established a finance-sharing nexus with the NSCN-IM to target the coal belt areas of West Khasi Hills and East Garo Hills. Such activities peaked towards the end of the year 2008, as a large quantity of coal is exported to Bangladesh during the winter season. While the cease-fire agreement does put some restrictions on the open activities of ANVC cadres, both the ANVC and NSCN-IM, according to Police sources, have used the newly formed militant outfits, the Atong Liberation Army (ALA) in South Garo Hills, and Achik National Security Defence (ANSD) in West Khasi Hills, to sustain extortion drives in coal belt areas. The cease-fire agreement with the ANVC was extended for an indefinite period on July 23, 2008, marking a break from the periodic review of the agreement on earlier occasions.
Since the cease-fire with the ANVC in 2004 and the weakening of the HNLC in 2005, several fringe militant formations have come into existence in Meghalaya, primarily with an intention of carrying on with the lucrative extortion racket. The Liberation of Achik Elite Force (LAEF) in 2008 led the pack. Meghalaya Police estimates that the outfit has a strength of about 50 trained cadres. Confessions of nine senior LAEF cadres, including an 'area commander' Sengrang Momin, who were arrested from a newly set up camp at Kadambari near Pilangkata in the Ri-Bhoi District along the Meghalaya-Assam border on November 18, revealed that the total strength of the outfit, including untrained cadres, could be up to 200. The LAEF has retained its linkage with the NSCN-IM, and has forged new alliances with the Assam-based United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the Black Widow (BW). The NSCN-IM remains the principal arms supplier to the LAEF, in exchange for a large chunk of its extortion revenues. LAEF cadres have, on the other hand, been employed on occasion by ULFA and NDFB to assemble crude bombs. Some LAEF cadres have also been trained by BW.
The LAEF, however, suffered a twin setback in 2008. On December 7, its 'commander-in-chief', Kimrey K. Sangma, was killed during an encounter with SFs at Damit village near Shahlang in the West Khasi Hills District. A Special Operations Team (SOT) constable, R.D. Sangma, also died in the encounter. Previously, on July 1, Police recovered the dead body of the then 'commander-in-chief' of the outfit, Nicheng Sangma alias Daria Sangma, who was killed during an intra-outfit clash at Parasin in the East Garo Hills District. Another 25 LAEF militants were neutralised in 2008. Of these, 23 were arrested and two surrendered. On November 18, nine senior LAEF cadres, including an 'area commander' were arrested from a newly set up camp at Kadambari in the Ri-Bhoi District along Meghalaya-Assam border.
The Achik National Liberation Front (ANLF), People's Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M) and the United Achik National Front (UANF) are the other fringe militant formations operating in the two Garo Hills Districts and are involved in extortion and related incidents of abduction. Of these groups, the UANF has established a nexus with the NDFB, to target coal traders. At least on one occasion, the extortionists have been targeted by an irate public. On March 9, the 'commander-in-chief' of the ANLF, Nobin Marak alias Scorpion, and another cadre were lynched by an angry mob while trying to extort money at Cheran village in the East Garo Hills District.
In recent years, the State capital, Shillong, has emerged as a hub for the trade in illegal small arms and explosives and has attracted militant factions both from Meghalaya and the neighbouring States. According to Meghalaya Police sources, Assam based outfits like the NDFB, DHD, BW and ULFA have used Shillong as a transit point for arms deals. Small arms and explosives from Myanmar and Bangladesh continue to flood the Shillong market, either through the Garo Hills or through Mizoram. On September 4, 2008, Meghalaya Police arrested four DHD cadres in Shillong, who had come to the city from Umrangsu in the North Cachar Hills District of Assam to purchase arms.
Meghalaya's militancy also flows from the activities of militant formations in the neighbouring States. Groups such as ULFA and NDFB in Assam have traditionally used the Garo Hills to travel between Assam and their base areas in Bangladesh. The poor presence of SFs in the vast expanse of the Garo Hills areas has been exploited for years to move men and material, to store arms and ammunition, and to establish transit facilities. Only during chance encounters have the SFs managed to neutralize a handful of cadres in this difficult and sparsely populated terrain. Seven such encounters with ULFA cadres were reported from the Garo Hills region in 2008, in which three militants were killed. On December 22, two ULFA cadres were killed and a woman cadre was wounded in an encounter at Gambil Apel in the East Garo Hills District. Earlier in the year, on January 20, an ULFA 'area commander', Madan Koch, was killed at a hideout at Katalbari near Garobadha in the West Garo Hills District.
The progressive weakening of militant formations, especially the HNLC, facilitated the peaceful conduct of the seventh Meghalaya Legislative Assembly elections on March 3, 2008. The call for a boycott by the HNLC had very little impact on the poll process, and 70 per cent of voters cast their ballots to elect a coalition Government led by Chief Minister Donkupar Roy.
Its weakness notwithstanding, the HNLC continues to defy official offers for a negotiated resolution of its armed campaign. On October 24, 2008, the outfit's 'publicity secretary' Sainkupar Nongtraw, in response to a peace offer by the Meghalaya Police, declared, "HNLC has no agenda to hold talks with the State Government or its Police Department as they are only actors of the Indian Puppet Government." He alleged that such offers were merely meant to create "mistrust and confusion among the people."
An unfenced 65 kilometre stretch of Meghalaya's 443 kilometre-long border with Bangladesh continues to allow the inward and outward movement of militants. This is the principal reason why militancy, albeit at its lowest ebb, continues to survive in the State. The thin presence of SFs in the Garo Hills region, moreover, has facilitated a free run of militants in the area. Unless the security establishment in Meghalaya refocuses its strategy on these militant vantage points, violence will continue to linger in the State.