Shillong turns warzone amid anger over HNLC leader Thangkhiew's killing; shocking visuals emerge

SHILLONG: Shocking visuals are emerging from Mawlai town in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills where rebellious youths have been vandalizing vehicles and acting unruly, allegedly to protest the killing of former Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) general secretary Cheristerfield Thangkhiew who was killed by police in his residence last Friday.

Sources said the parts of the East Khasi Hills district has turned into a "warzone" due to discontent in the area following the HNLC leader's killing. Thangkhiew's funeral is reportedly being held today.

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Visuals that have emerged from the town show masked and hooded youths running amok, vandalizing vehicles, and creating an atmosphere of terror. Miscreants have also resorted to pelting stones at passing vehicles.

A police vehicle (black Scorpio) belonging to Mawkynroh Outpost was set ablaze at Jaiaw. Eye-witnesses informed that the vehicle was first stopped at Mawlai Mawkynroh near Shillong bypass and vandalized. Police personnel numbering six to seven, including the officer in charge of Mawkynroh Outpost, managed to flee to the nearby jungle. The youth then seized the vehicle and some weapons and took it for a ride before setting it on fire at Jaiaw.

Talking to Inside Northeast, a highly-placed Meghalaya police force said that efforts are being made to identify the culprits and "nothing has been confirmed."

Thangkhiew, one of the founders of Meghalaya’s proscribed insurgent outfit Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), which claims to fight for the Khasi-Jaintia tribal community against the outsiders from the Indian mainland, died when his home in Shillong was raided by police early on Friday, police said.

However, Cheristerfield Thangkhiew’s family has countered the police narrative alleging that he was killed in cold blood by the police.

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Meghalaya director general of police (DGP) R Chandranathan said that there was enough evidence to link the former HNLC leader to the two recent improvised explosive device (IED) blasts claimed by the outfit.

The last such blast suspected to be triggered by HNLC injured two people at Laitumkhrah on Tuesday.

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In July, HNLC cadres triggered another blast at the barracks of a special police team at the Police Reserve in East Jaiñtia Hills district headquarters, injuring a policeman.

The police chief said that when the joint team led by East Jaiñtia Hills police chief Jagpal Singh Dhanoa and East Khasi Hills SP (superintendent of police) (Traffic) Shailendra Bamaniya entered Thangkhiew’s house, he resisted the police. He further alleged that the rebel leader had stabbed a constable and got injured in retaliatory fire.

In the aftermath of the incident, HNLC general secretary cum spokesperson, Saińkupar Nongtraw said Thangkhiew was involved in talks and mediation between the Central agencies and the banned outfit.

“The correspondences which we sent to the IB and SB were all through Thangkhiew,” Nongthraw said and added that Thangkhiew was threatened by surrendered HNLC cadres, Herman Pakyntein and Treng Saw. “In fact the duo planned the killing of the former general secretary in active connivance with the police,” Nongtraw alleged.

Nongtraw also alleged that the operation against Thangkhiew couldn’t have been carried out without approval from a senior minister in the Meghalaya government.

“Without his permission, this wouldn’t have happened to a person. We will see how long he remains in that chair,” the rebel leader added in a communique.

54-year-old Thangkhiew was the founding general secretary of the HNLC (in August 1987) along with chairman Julius Dorphang, who surrendered on July 24, 2007 and Bobby Marwein as the commander-in-chief. Thangkhiew had surrendered before Meghalaya deputy CM Prestone Tynsong at Shillong in October 18, 2018.

The HNLC is a product of a 1992 split in the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (HALC), the first militant tribal outfit in Meghalaya.

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