Centre pledges assistance for insurgency-ravaged Garo Hills

NewsGram Staff Writer

Shillong: Expressing deep concern over the over the abating law and order situation in Meghalaya's Garo Hills region, the Center on Saturday vowed to provide all out assistance to the state for ensuring stability in the region.

Regretting that militants are on a kidnapping and killing spree, union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told journalists, "it is unfortunate that in Garo Hills things are not improving as we hoped, but the state government is taking all steps to ensure and secure the lives and properties of the people." He called for a united effort to address the issue.

Notably, on Thursday, armed militants of the A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) outfit kidnapped Intelligence Bureau officer Bikash Singh and cloth merchant Kamal Saha at gunpoint from an area between Ampangre and Panda reserve forest.

(With inputs from IANS)