New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Monday banned Meghalaya-based militant group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
In a notification, the MHA said the HNLC, along with its factions and frontal organisations, has been openly declaring as its objective the secession of the state’s areas, which are largely inhabited by Khasi and Jaintia tribals.
It also said HNLC continues to intimidate and bully civilians to extort funds, maintain links with other insurgent groups of the Northeast to carry out acts of extortion, and continue to have camps in Bangladesh to give sanctuary and training to its cadre.
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), (hereinafter referred to as the said Act), the central government hereby declares the HNLC, along with all its factions, wings and front organisations as unlawful association,” the notification said.
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‘Free Meghalaya from outsiders’
In 1992, HNLC split from Meghalaya’s first militant group Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council. Since then, the group has been wanting to “free” Meghalaya from “outsiders” (non-tribals).
In May this year, the HNLC had threatened to shoot 10 non-tribals in under a minute’s time. Sainkupar Nongtraw, the outfit’s general secretary, also warned the state’s police to not harass its sympathisers.
“If they do so, we shall fire indiscriminately at non-tribals be it beggars, businessman, low class or high class,” he had said.
In a similar incident in June, the organisation, which claims to represent the Khasi-Jainta tribe, had threatened residents of Shillong’s Punjabi lane — an area dominated by the Sikhs — of violence if they refused to relocate.
Banned earlier
HLNC was first banned in 2000 but it continued to engage in massive killings and kidnappings until 2005. In 2007, HNLC chairman Julius Dorphang had surrendered before the state government. The post remained vacant until February 2019 when Bobby Marwein took over as its new chairman.
In October, the group’s general secretary Nongtraw said the organisation would carry on its fight for a sovereign homeland.
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(With inputs from PTI)