Fear psychosis reigns in Garo Hills
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network

Shillong, June 23 2014: The increasing number of kidnapping cases in the Garo Hills region has made most fear venturing out of their homes.

While, there may be reasons for the increasing kidnapping activities, the thought that has now come forward is that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on rat hole mining, may have led to the increase even as militants try to make up for the loss of a regular income source which the coal trade was providing.

The towns of Nongalbibra, Jadi and others through which the supply of coal was the main lifeline, now wear a blank look as the once thriving markets there now wear a deserted look of a ghost town with hardly any vehicle movement.

It is common knowledge that the coal trade had been lucrative not only for the people who dug out the coal or owned the mines, but also to the various militant groups within the region.

The loss of income has begun to adversely affect everyone, including the militants themselves.

This has led them to move further inward and now towns and villages have begun to be affected by the increasing militant movement.

While earlier the main areas of operation were rural rather than urban, the trend has undergone a sea change in recent months.

According to rough estimates, more than 30 kidnapping cases have come to the fore, with militants staying very close to towns and populated areas.

Most of these cases have not even been registered, as fear of reprisals has forced families to try and resolve them without the police being informed.

"We were aware that something like this was going to happen.

They had a steady income through the coal trade and the affect of the ban has been the drying up of the source.

Every ton of coal mined had to pay militant 'royalty' and that meant the income ran into crores," said a source who requested anonymity.

The region has seen increased kidnapping activity, which has recently more than tripled.

There have been daily reports of militants getting bolder and kidnapping people from their homes.

The main group in the recent episodes has mainly been the A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK), which according to recent reports has increased its cadre strength.

However, others have not been far behind.

Some petty criminals too have taken advantage of the situation.

According to information available, the ban on coal mining has reduced the crime rates of both the Jaintia-Khasi Hills as well as the Garo Hills regions wherever coal was extracted.

This however, looks a superficial assessment as most of these places are now empty and as such there will be no crime.

While there may be a temporary hiatus as the transport of coal stock is to be allowed for the next three months, however, the situation after three months is set to return to the current state of lawlessness.

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