Northeast Desk, 14th March: In a significant development, arms and ammunition allegedly connected to the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) were confiscated in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district, according to local police reports.
The seizures, following the arrest of four individuals associated with the outfit in connection with an IED blast in the disputed Punjabi Lane area of Shillong, were made based on information provided by the detainees. Superintendent of Police Jagpal Dhanoa Singh confirmed that firearms, gelatin sticks, detonators, ignition fuses, and HNLC flags were among the items seized in Ri-Bhoi district on Wednesday.
The IED blast in the Punjabi Lane area on Saturday night resulted in injuries to at least one person. The four arrested individuals were reportedly acting on directives from their handlers believed to be affiliated with the HNLC and based in neighboring Bangladesh.
Further arrests were made, including that of Tarzan Lymba, identified as the disciplinary secretary of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front, for their alleged involvement in the blast.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has pledged stringent action against those responsible for the blast, with several arrests already made in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, Sikhs residing in the disputed Punjabi Lane area have written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that the blast was orchestrated to disrupt negotiations concerning the relocation of residents from the area to municipal land for rehabilitation.
Tensions in the Punjabi Lane area have simmered since 2018, when violence erupted following an alleged assault on a bus driver by Sikhs, leading to the imposition of a month-long curfew. The government had proposed relocating the Sikhs, originally brought to Shillong by the British around 200 years ago for sanitation work, to another parcel of land. While initially hesitant, the Sikhs agreed to the relocation but demanded that the government bear the costs of constructing their new residences.
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