Meghalaya: Hardcore HLNC Cadre Surrenders Before BSF

Shillong: Junel Tongper, a hardcore cadre of the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), has surrendered before the Border Security Force (BSF) in Meghalaya.

The hardcore cadre laid down his arms at a surrender ceremony held at Umkiang Border Out Post (BOP) in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on 30 December.

Inderjit Singh Rana, the BSF Meghalaya Frontier Inspector General (IG) was also present during the time of Tongper's surrender.

Also, the family members of the surrendered cadre were present in this ceremony.

Tongpel served as the area commander of the HNLC in the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya.

After laying down arms, Tongper confessed that he was misguided by the HNLC as a result of which he ended up joining their ranks.

Inderjit Singh Rana said that this is a huge setback to militancy in Meghalaya.

The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) is a militant organization operating in Meghalaya. It claims to be a representative of the Khasi-Jaintia tribal people, and its aim is to free the state from the alleged domination of the Garos and the non-tribal outsiders (the "Dkhars").

The HNLC is a product of a 1992 split in the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (HALC), the first militant tribal outfit in Meghalaya.

The HALC split due to inter-tribal antagonisms leading to the formation of the HNLC and the Achik Matgrik Liberation Army (AMLA).

In the erstwhile HALC, the Hynniewtreps (Khasis, who trace their origin to seven celestial families) represented the Khasi and Jaintia tribes and the Achiks represented the Garos in the common fight against the Dkhars or 'outsiders.

One of the primary objectives of the HNLC is to transform Meghalaya as a province exclusively for the Khasi tribe and free it from 'domination' by the Garo tribe.

Another objective is to fight against the presence of 'outsiders', as the HNLC feels that Khasi youth are deprived of the fruits of development in the state.

The HNLC primarily operates in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. A number of its activities has been reported from the capital city of Shillong.

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