Sangma blames Mukul for worsening law and order in Garo Hills
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Shillong, June 25 2014:
Former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A.Sangma blamed the Mukul Sangma government for the worsening law and order problem in Garo Hills of Meghalaya.
The growing number of kidnappings and murders in the Garo Hills region in Meghalaya has affected the people to the extent that people now fear venturing out of their homes.
It is driving people within the region to abjure any form of activity that may place them in the danger of getting kidnapped.
The recent spurt of kidnapping activities within the region has made people believe that their only hope is to ensure they are least seen by anyone.
Even jogging to maintain good health is now being eschewed for the sake of security, though sometimes even that does nothing to mitigate their fears.
Speaking to Newmai News Network today, P.A Sangma said, "The state government of Meghalaya has failed to deal things in the state." The former Lok Sabha Speaker also said, "Hundred per cent the state government of Meghalaya should be held responsible for the worsening law and order situation in the state especially in the Garo Hills" .
The fear factor has affected everyone in the region, with the plain belt worst affected.
A resident of the plain belt in Bhaitbari, Azia Ali said they have begun to fear going through Selsella towards Tura.
Instead they go through the longer route via Assam.
"We fear going to Tura.
Look at the case of Hujil Mann who was killed in his own house.
He was the headman of the village and they came and shot him in the house, his murderers are still at large.
Where do we go now?" Ali asks.
Recently, residents of the plain belt recently convened a meeting in Hallidayganj to discuss the spurt in kidnapping cases throughout the region and even stated they would try and stand against it.
How they are going to do so is a question most are still trying to find an answer to.
Another former NGO president of North Garo Hills contemplated the worsening situation.
"I had to borrow money from people because I too had got a demand note.
Without paying where do even we go?" he asked.
Police investigations into the cases of murder and kidnappings have been very slow with criminals almost always getting away with murder.
The police mechanism has failed to check crimes, which have been growing on a daily basis.
The month of May 2014 alone had witnessed about 30 cases of kidnapping and murder, some not even documented.
The problem is not with the police team which strives to the point of breaking, but with the mechanism itself.
Other than the West Garo Hills (WGH) district, none of the other districts have enough policemen to monitor the expanse.
The problem is extended as people find it almost impossible to differentiate between the genuine members of outfits and those who claim to be members, which makes the situation a dicey one.
"How do I know who is genuine and who is not?" asks one worried shop keeper while adding, "It is easy to make a fake ID of an outfit and we have no way to know the difference." The growth in the number of dacoit groups has also further compounded the problem.
The problem is also compounded by the number of Over Ground Workers (OGW) available to each militant outfit.
One police source on the condition of anonymity explained the prevailing situation by saying "There are so many OGWs of various outfits that it is difficult to say who belongs to which group.
Sometimes, they are free agents and provide information to all groups.
They could be anyone and their presence in all locations gives the groups eyes and ears to monitor and get specific inputs" .
If some ground level reports from the Tura Bazar are to be believed, outfits have even stopped issuing demand notes and have been going to individual shops and stating their demands in person.
If the same is true then the fear of the people is bound to grow further as it would mean that the fear of being discovered is not a deterrent anymore and worse days are in store for the region.
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