Woman's murder: Encounter on with Garo militants

An encounter was under way on Thursday between the security forces and Garo militants responsible for the gruesome killing of a tribal woman after molestation and attempted rape, in South Garo Hills district in Meghalaya.

The encounter, followed an operation launched in the Durama hills range across the Simsang River where 40 to 50 militants of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) were holed up in a camp, Inspector General of Police G H P Raju said.

Commandos of the Swift Weapons and Tactics and Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Cobra Force were engaged in the encounter, Raju said.

The Centre on Wednesday rushed 5 companies each of the Border Security Force and CRPF to Meghalaya to assist the state government in maintaining law and order.  The security forces were sent at the request of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

The Garo militants shot dead a 35-year-old tribal woman, a mother of four, with an assault rifle splitting her head in two claiming her to be a police informer after she resisted their attempts at molestation and rape in Raja Rongat village on June three.

The GNLA in a statement had denied that the woman was molested or raped and said that she was “executed” as she was a “police informer”.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS (Home) Khiren Rijiju on Wednesday sought a detailed report of the horrific killing.