annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Meghalaya
groups from Assam such as National
Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)
and United Liberation Front of Assam
(ULFA) havee also been reportedly active
in the State. All these armed groups have
been responsible for severe human rights
violations, including violations of right to
life, kidnapping, extortion, torture and
destruction of public properties. On 19
June 2004, Chief Minister D D Lapang
tabled a surrender-cum-rehabilitation
scheme for militants in the Assembly. 12 But
it had little effect.
On 1 December 2004, suspected
NDFB members shot dead five villagers
identified as Mihir Hajong, Reboti
Hajong, his 11-year-old daughter Litika
Hajong, Rita Hajong and Dipali Hajong at
Lutubari village near Ampati in West Garo
Hills. Members of the armed group came
to the house of Mihir Hajong at around
9.30 pm and inquired about his son Samit
Hajong, an alleged ex-NDFB militant.
When Mihir pleaded ignorance about the
whereabouts of his son, they became
angry. They asked Mihir and other family
members, including the maid of the house,
to line up and then shot them at point blank
range killing them on the spot and injuring
Rishi Hajongw who had to be shifted to
Tura civil hospital. 13
On 6 March 2004, a police officer
Umesh Prasad was abducted from Upper
Shillong by suspected members of an
unidentified armed opposition group. His
decomposed body bearing several injury
marks was found from 3 Mile area of
Upper Shillong by the State police on 12
172
March 2004. The decomposed body
indicated that Prasad was severely
tortured and his throat was slit by the
abductors. 14
On the night of 9 February 2004,
suspected members of the NDFB
kidnapped one Rajkumar Sahu and his 11year-old
son Pawan from their residence at
Chaipani near Dalu in West Garo Hills. On
the night of 10 February 2004, they
released Rajkumar and asked him to return
with twenty lakhs of rupees for the safe
return of his son. 15
On 14 October 2004, suspected
UANF-NDFB cadres kidnapped 7-yearold
son of Sankar Prasad, a petty
businessman from Natun Bazar,
Purakhasia in West Garo Hills on not
finding Sankar Prasad at home. 16
IV. Internally Displaced Persons
In the last week of November 2004,
about 200 Khasi families fled Cachar Hills
in Assam to escape atrocities by armed
opposition groups. 17 Over 4,000 Khasi-
Pnar people who were displaced from
Block I and II areas in Karbi Anglong
district of Assam due to alleged threats and
harassment from the United People’s
Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and Karbi
National Volunteers (KNV) militants
returned in late 2003. 18 However, there has
been little improvement of their security
situation. 19
Block I and II areas in Karbi Anglong
have remained disputed between Assam
and Meghalaya for a long time. In 1951,
these areas had been transferred to the