SHILLONG, APR 25: The proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has raised concerns over the location of major military installations within civilian zones of Shillong and surrounding areas, calling it a contradiction to the state’s civil defence preparedness drills under “ARMEX-1 2026.”
In a statement, HNLC general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said, “The recent announcement of ‘ARMEX-1 2026’ air raid mock drills across Meghalaya exposes a serious contradiction in the Indian state’s security policy. While the public is instructed to switch off lights, observe blackout drills, and prepare for possible air strikes, the same government continues to maintain major military installations within civilian zones of Shillong, Laitkor, and surrounding populated areas.”
The outfit pointed to the presence of the Headquarters of the Indian Air Force’s Eastern Air Command in Upper Shillong, calling it “one of the biggest strategic military establishments in the Northeast and serves as the headquarters of the Indian Air Force’s Eastern Air Command, one of the five operational air commands of India.”
It further stated that Shillong Cantonment, HQ 101 Area, and the Military Hospital further reflect the heavy concentration of Indian Army presence within the city itself.
Referring to Umroi Military Station, the statement said it is a major Indian Army operational and training hub, regularly used for international joint military exercises such as Exercise Maitree and supported by advanced facilities like the Thimayya Training Node; its close proximity to civilian settlements and Umroi Airport highlights how significant defence infrastructure is situated within populated areas in Hynniewtrep, raising serious concerns about potential civilian vulnerability in any future conflict scenario.
Posing what it termed a serious political and military question, the HNLC asked, “why are strategic military targets placed in the heart of civilian areas, while ordinary Hynniewtrepians are expected to bear the consequences during wartime?”
Citing international humanitarian principles, the outfit said, “military objectives should be separated from civilian populations in order to reduce danger to non-combatants. Yet Shillong has been systematically transformed into a command centre where civilians are forced to live beside military headquarters, cantonments, army camps, and strategic defence installations.”
“In military strategy, any air force command centre, cantonment, or major military headquarters is considered a high-value target during conflict. This means that in any escalation, the first victims may not be soldiers, but innocent civilians living nearby,” it said.
“HNLC strongly condemns this dangerous policy of militarising civilian life in Hynniewtrep. Our people should not be forced to live under permanent strategic risk because of military installations imposed without the consent of the indigenous population,” Nongtraw said.
The HNLC further warned that the State Government, the Autonomous District Councils, and every Dorbar Shnong must not grant long-term leases, temporary land allotments, or permanent land transfers for the establishment or expansion of army camps, air force stations, or any strategic military base in Hynniewtrep.
Any such decision directly turns our homeland into a military asset and, in times of conflict, into a military target.
“Allowing military infrastructure to expand on indigenous land means exposing future generations to permanent insecurity. Hynniewtrep must not be transformed into a shield for external military interests,” it added.
“If the state is genuinely committed to civilian safety, it must explain why major army camps, cantonments, and air force bases continue to exist within densely populated residential areas. Why should indigenous civilians bear the risks created by strategic decisions made by the central government? And why are blackout drills imposed on the public instead of relocating sensitive military installations away from civilian populations?”
“A government that truly values human life separates military targets from civilian homes. But a colonizing power like the Indian government does the opposite,” the statement concluded.
The ARMEX-1 2026 air raid mock drills was conducted across Meghalaya as part of civil defence preparedness measures.
By Our Reporter
