Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Dr Mukul Sangma has sounded an alarm over the reported movement of unidentified people allegedly carrying sophisticated arms in different parts of the State, warning that the developments should not be viewed in isolation and that there can be no room for complacency in safeguarding the peace restored in Meghalaya. Sangma said the security establishment must examine intelligence inputs available from the ground and assess whether such movements indicate attempts by forces to regroup and revive militancy. “However, they may refer to it, but the inputs which I have shared earlier is that there is a movement, and it’s a matter of concern. The movement of unidentified people carrying sophisticated arms,” he said.
Stressing that sustaining peace was a greater challenge than restoring it, Sangma said the authorities must remain vigilant and discharge their responsibilities with commitment and conviction. “It’s a fact, and therefore there is no room for complacency, and we can’t take things for granted, and we must always try to see that the peace, which has been restored in the state of Meghalaya, We are able to sustain it,” he said. He cautioned that forces seeking to wage a war against the State could attempt to mobilise vulnerable sections, pointing out that Meghalaya had faced similar challenges in the past and had succeeded in overcoming them.
Sangma said the security situation needed to be assessed across regions, referring to developments in the eastern range covering the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and the western parts of the State, including Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills. He said the Government had access to intelligence inputs from the ground that went beyond recent developments and urged the authorities entrusted with internal security to examine their wider implications. “This inputs only gave us reason, that what you see is only tip of the iceberg and the government have to look at the larger fallout of the inputs, which is available with the government,” he said.
Drawing attention to recent incidents in Garo Hills, Sangma said the police had busted small groups suspected of involvement in activities linked to militancy, which he described as commendable.
He also referred to the recent incident in Songsak and said such developments reinforced the need for the Government to take cognisance of any emerging tendency among forces to come together to establish a militant outfit.
