Garo militants abduct policeman, trader in Meghalaya

Militants of the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) on Friday abducted a policeman and a trader in Meghalaya's Garo Hills region, police said.

Havildar Khomraj Bhattarai and an unidentified trader were kidnapped by a group of heavily armed GNLA militants from Dobima on the Mendipathar-Songsak road in North Garo Hills district, Inspector General of Police (western range) F.D. Sangma said.

"A group of GNLA rebels waylaid a vehicle the duo boarded from Mendipathar area to Williamnagar, the district headquarters of East Garo Hills, and kidnapped the two," Sangma told IANS.

The militants left other passengers and the vehicle driver unharmed.

Sangma said ransom was the motive behind the abduction.

"A search operation is on to rescue the two but so far we have no inputs on their exact location," the police officer said.

Friday's kidnapping is significant as the Meghalaya High Court has directed the central government to consider the use of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, and deployment of paramilitary forces to control deteriorating law and order in Garo Hills.

The high court order followed the recent 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 GNLA militants. Sangma was released on Tuesday.

GNLA has been fighting for a separate Garoland in five impoverished districts of Garo Hills in western Meghalaya.