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Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) was formed in
December 1995 with an objective of carving out a homeland
for the Garo tribe comprising the present districts
of Garo Hills in Meghalaya and a large part of the Kamrup
and the Goalpara districts in adjoining Assam. The Government
of India proscribed the outfit on November 16, 2000.
Three and half years later, on July 23, 2004, the outfit
signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of
India. The cease-fire agreement with the ANVC was extended
for an indefinite period since July 23, 2008.
The ANVC is headed by Dilash R. Marak,
who is the ‘Chairman’ of the outfit. Jerome
Momin is the outfit’s ‘Commander-in-Chief’
and Wanding R. Marak is its ‘General Secretary’.
The outfit divides its area of operation into several
zones and each zone is headed by a ‘commander’.
In its prime days, the outfit boasted of about 250 cadres,
about half of whom were armed with an assortment of
weapons.
Before the ceasefire agreement, ANVC
operated in the Garo Hills area and in certain parts
of the West Khasi Hills. It maintained its headquarters
at Cheram in the Garo Hills. Among its activities was
extortion from the trading community in the name of
‘fund collection’. Besides that, the outfit
is also known to have indulged in fake currency circulation
in Meghalaya.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland
- Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) played a crucial role in the
formation of the ANVC. It armed and trained the ANVC
cadres in return for a share of the extorted amount.
Subsequently, the outfit developed ties with the United
Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB). Both the outfits received
assistance from the ANVC in terms of establishing safe
houses in the Garo Hills area. The ANVC cadres also
helped the ULFA and the NDFB cadres in their movement
between Bangladesh and Assam. ANVC maintained few camps
in Bangladesh and is known to have worked in tandem
with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.
The ANVC cadres have been involved
in extortion targeting the coal belt areas of West Khasi
Hills and East Garo Hills and have established a finance-sharing
nexus with the NSCN-IM. Since it is on ceasefire with
the government, the group is now using newly formed
militant outfits like the Atong Liberation Army (ALA)
in South Garo Hills, and Achik National Security Defence
(ANSD) in West Khasi Hills, to sustain extortion drives
in coal belt areas.
At presentl, some of the ANVC cadres
are based in two designated camps, at Samada and Chokpot,
set up under the ceasefire agreement in the Garo Hills.
Allegations of extortion activities continue to be leveled
against the outfit’s cadres who continue to remain
outside the camps. A formal process of negotiation between
the Government and the outfit is yet to begin.
A split in the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation
Council (HALC), the first militant outfit in Meghalaya
led to the birth of the Hynniewtrep National Liberation
Council (HNLC) in 1992. The HNLC aims at transforming
Meghalaya into an exclusive province for the Khasi tribe.
It also is prejudiced against the presence of the 'outsiders'
in the State who it says have deprived the Khasi tribals
of their rightful share from the gains of development.
The Government of India had proscribed the HNLC on November
16, 2000.
Julius K Dorphang is the ‘Chairman’
of the HNLC. Cheristerfield Thangkhiew functions as
its ‘General Secretary’. Other leaders are
‘Publicity Secretary’ M. Diengdoh and ‘Commander-in-chief’
Bobby Marwein. On July 24, 2007, Chairman Julius Dorphang,
following internal differences within the organisation,
surrendered to the State government.
Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and State
capital Shillong has been the prime area of HNLC’s
activities. The outfit extorts and abducts civilians
and traders in order to shore up its fund collection
activities. State police action against the outfit,
however, met with several successes since 2005, rendering
the outfit incapable of launching major strikes.
In its initial days, the HNLC maintained
strategic linkages with the National Socialist Council
of Nagaland – Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM). The outfit
maintains few camps in Bangladesh, where its top leaders
are located. It also promotes the circulation of fake
currency in the State, at the behest of Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.
Despite several attempts by the State
government and the Church, the HNLC has stayed away
from starting a process of negotiation with the government.
Formed in 2005, the Liberation of Achik
Elite Force (LAEF) is a Garo militant outfit.
The LAEF in an appeal in the first
week of October 2006, outlined the reasons of its existence
as: "LAEF stands to fight for a separate Achik
state after studying the scenario of the State. It is
learnt that the citizens of our land have been ill-treated
and discriminated in every field – socially, politically
and economically by the Khasis and Jaintias of Meghalaya
making our people lag behind in the development process."
It called for the Achik (Garo) people "to co-operate
and join hands to fight for a peaceful movement for
an independent separate Achik State."
The present chief of LAEF is Darong
Marak. He is the main trainer and ‘finance secretary’
of the outfit. The ‘chairman’ of the outfit
is Remsu Rema alias Chingkam. Chingkam Marak works as
the 'Convenor cum Publicity Secretary' of the LAEF.
The area of the operation includes
the East Garo Hills district, South Garo Hills district,
Ri Bhoi district and East Khasi Hills district. The
outfit’s presence has also been reported from
the Goalpara district of Assam. As many as 50 well armed
and trained LAEF militants operate from the Garo Hills
forests.
LAEF has linkages with the NSCN-IM,
United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Dima Halam Daogah
- Jewel Garlossa (DHD-J). Its cadres are trained mainly
by the NSCN-IM, though some were also trained by the
DHD-J.
The People’s Liberation Front
of Meghalaya (PLF-M) is an offshoot of the erstwhile
Achik Liberation Matgrik Army (ALMA), which wanted a
separate Garoland State for the Garos. In 1994 most
of the ALMA militants surrendered and some of these
surrendered rebels went to form PLF-M. The group operates
mainly in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya and its objectives
are economic development of the Garo Hills, as well
as better educational opportunities for the Garo tribes
in Meghalaya. It also demands a separate state for the
Garos.
The outfit is active in Dainadubi,
Williamnagar, in East Garo Hills, and Dalu in West Garo
Hills. Its main source of funds is extortion. Vincent
Sangma is the chairman of the outfit and Nimush Marak
is the ‘Commander in Chief’. It maintains
its funds mainly through extortion and it has close
connections with the ANVC.
Achik National Security Defence (ANSD)
was formed in 2008 in West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.
It is a shadow organization of NSCN-IM and ANVC. The
outfit is mainly involved in extortion activities in
the coal belt areas of West Khasi Hills.
Atong Liberation Army (ALA) was formed
in 2008 in South Garo Hills of Meghalaya. It is a shadow
organization of NSCN-IM and ANVC. The outfit is mainly
involved in extortion activities in the coal belt areas
of South Garo Hills.
United Achik National Front (UANF)
was formed in March 2004 by a breakaway faction of the
People’s Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M).
Its objective is to establish an independent state for
the Garo people. Nemos Marak is the Commander-in-Chief
of the outfit.
UANF is active in the Garo Hills of
Meghalaya. It finances its operations through extortion
and ransom money from kidnappings. It has also established
a nexus with the NDFB to target coal traders in the
Garo Hills. UANF also has links with other Garo militant
outfits in Meghalaya and outfits in other North Eastern
states. It also manages its camps in Bangladesh.
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