Meghalaya: Ex-militant chief to contest assembly elections from Chokpot constituency

The former chairman of the militant group United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) Novembirth Ch Marak is mulling contesting next year’s assembly elections from the Chokpot constituency in south Garo Hills.

Novembirth Marak said that he will seek the people’s mandate from Chokpot where he has opened a few schools for village children.

According to the former militant chief, Chokpot has been deprived of any development even after fifty years of Meghalaya gaining statehood and leaders elected from Chokpot every five years.

He said that three crucial issues are lacking in Chokpot which need to be addressed by any elected representative.

Lack of proper roads, damaged schools and poor medical service are key issues of Chokpot which need to be solved but have not been done by any of the previous or present representatives.

According to the former militant leader, people have seen his work in the area by opening schools for children’s benefits much before he decided to contest elections and claimed that irrespective of the results, his focus would remain on the education of children.

Novembirth Marak was one of the founding members of GNLA and was its first general secretary. He was arrested and jailed. He later formed the UALA as its chairman with Singbirth Marak alias Norrok X Momin as commander in chief.

The UALA gained notoriety for attacking Williamnagar jail and killing two unarmed wardens. It was also behind the killing of seven villagers from the Rabha community at Gendabari village of Goalpara during Diwali celebrations.

After signing a ceasefire with the Meghalaya government, the UALA disbanded in an official ceremony its cadres returned to the mainstream, except for Norrok Momin who continued his militant activities and began recruiting cadres for a new outfit called United A’chik National Front when he was gunned down by North aro Hills police in operation in 2017.