Centre sets up committee to review Garo Hills security

The Centre on Wednesday informed the Meghalaya High Court that a committee has been set up to review the security situation in the insurgency-ravaged Garo Hills districts.

The union home ministry formed the committee after the high court issued an order directing the Centre to consider the use of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and deployment of armed and paramilitary forces to control the deteriorating law and order situation in the Garo Hills.

"We have informed the court that the government has discussed the prevailing law and order situation in Garo Hill at the highest level," Rakhal Debnath, counsel for the central government, told IANS.

He said the government has also set up a committee to review the security situation in the Garo Hills and on the India-Bangladesh border (in Meghalaya).

"The central government will take a decision on it only after assessing the security situation in the Garo Hills and the international border," Debnath said.

On November 2, the high court asked the union home secretary and defence secretary to consider the use of AFSPA and deployment of armed and paramilitary forces in the Garo Hills.

It also directed the principal secretary in the Prime Minister's Office to place the order before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his perusal and consideration.

The high court order came after the kidnapping and killing of Intelligence Bureau officer Bikash Kumar Singh and businessman Kamal Saha by militants of the A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok and abduction of government official Jude Rangku T. Sangma by Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants. Sangma was later released unharmed.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police informed the high court about its actions taken to control the law and order situation in the five districts of Garo Hills.

Inspector General of Police (Operations) G.H.P. Raju said the kidnappings and extortions were carried out by militants taking advantage of the easy access to pre-activated SIM cards originating from Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura.

Raju requested the court to issue an order to direct mobile service operators to alert their subscribers while they are on a visit to Garo Hills to report themselves to any police station.

He said such exercise -- in place in Jammu and Kashmir -- will also help police to contain the use of SIM cards by militants.