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Meghalaya: Top insurgent killed in police encounter; outfit swears vengeance
54-year-old Thangkhiew was known as a dreaded militant leader and was the founding general secretary of the HNLC (in August 1987) along with chairman Julius Dorphang, who surrendered on July 24, 2007 and Bobby Marwein as the commander-in-chief.
One of the founders of Meghalaya’s proscribed insurgent outfit Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), which claims to fight for the Khasi-Jaintia tribal community against the outsiders from the Indian mainland, died when his home in Shillong was raided by police early on Friday, police said. However, Cheristerfield Thangkhiew’s family alleged that he was killed in cold blood by the police.
Meghalaya director general of police (DGP) R Chandranathan said on Friday evening that there was enough evidence to link the former HNLC leader to the two recent improvised explosive device (IED) blasts claimed by the outfit. “We found incontrovertible evidence of the involvement of Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, especially in the Khliehriat bomb blast case, and we also found his links to the Shillong blast case,” he said.
The last such blast suspected to be triggered by HNLC injured two people at Laitumkhrah on Tuesday. Earlier in July, HNLC cadres triggered another blast at the barracks of a special police team at the Police Reserve in East Jaiñtia Hills district headquarters, injuring a policeman and damaging a building partially.
The police chief said that when the joint team led by East Jaiñtia Hills police chief Jagpal Singh Dhanoa and East Khasi Hills SP (superintendent of police) (Traffic) Shailendra Bamaniya entered Thangkhiew’s house, he resisted the police. “In the melee, he tried to stab one of the constables. Purely exerting the right of defence, one round was fired. Cheristerfield Thangkhiew was injured in his abdomen [and] he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries at the hospital,” Chandranathan claimed.
Police claim to have seized a 9 mm pistol, one knife, a laptop and a number of mobile phones and incriminating documents from the house of the former insurgent leader. The DGP also stated that the police had also picked up Thangkhiew’s two sons for verification. “We have to ascertain their role also,” he said, clarifying that they were not under arrest and were taken to the Civil Hospital in Shillong for medical check up.
Thangkhiew’s brother Granary Starfield Thangkhiew said it all happened in a flash. “It is amply clear that they (police) came with the intention to kill and nothing else. Found a gun, no way, no way. It is clear by this action they came with one and only one mission, to kill my dear brother.”
“They could have come in the daytime like any other normal person or even summoned him to the police station; why early at 3am when the whole world is fast asleep? They (police) just wanted to show strength like cowards, shame on them,” he continued
In an emailed communiqué, HNLC general secretary cum spokesperson, Saińkupar Nongtraw said Thangkhiew was involved in talks and mediation between the Central agencies and the banned outfit.
“The correspondences which we sent to the IB and SB were all through Thangkhiew,” Nongthraw said and added that Thangkhiew was threatened by surrendered HNLC cadres, Herman Pakyntein and Treng Saw. “In fact the duo planned the killing of the former general secretary in active connivance with the police,” Nongtraw alleged.
Nongtraw also alleged that the operation against Thangkhiew couldn’t have been carried out without approval from a senior minister in the Meghalaya government.
“Without his permission, this wouldn’t have happened to a person. We will see how long he remains in that chair,” the rebel leader threatened.
54-year-old Thangkhiew was known to be one of the most dreaded militant leaders and was the founding general secretary of the HNLC (in August 1987) along with chairman Julius Dorphang, who surrendered on July 24, 2007 and Bobby Marwein as the commander-in-chief. Thangkhiew had surrendered before Meghalaya deputy CM Prestone Tynsong at Shillong in October 18, 2018 and maintained a low profile since then.
Known to be close to Nagaland's NSCN (IM) and Tripura's NLFT, the HNLC is a product of a 1992 split in the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (HALC), the first militant tribal outfit in Meghalaya.
