TURA, MAR 10: The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) clarified on Tuesday that the outfit is not responsible for those students who failed to turn up at the examination centre during the 12-hour bandh call across Garo hills on Monday.
The GNLA had called the bandh yesterday to protest the alleged “police highhandedness” and “fake encounter”.
“We are not responsible for those students who couldn’t make it to write their exams. We have considered their request and allowed vehicles to ferry them to their respective exam place”, said Garo Mandei Marak, GNLA joint publicity secretary in a release on Tuesday.
The release stated that Garo Students Union (GSU) president Tengsak Momin was asked to arrange vehicles for the students appearing exams well ahead of the bandh. “If he (Momin) could not manage to do so as a leader it is his fault not ours”, the statement said.
The outfit further said that they even allowed the use of bikes and scooters, so that students appearing exams from remote areas could reach their respective examination centres. “There is no criticism from any quarters except from the GSU and certain ngos, ” the statement said.
The GNLA alleged that the GSU is making lame excuses for their inability. “If these leaders can book hundreds of vehicles for conferences and their elections, can’t they do so when the students needed them most?” the outfit asked.
The outfit reiterated that the government should immediately suspend officials responsible for fake encounter. On March 4, son of village headman of Oragitok Sengbath Marak was killed in an exchange of fire, which the GNLA says was a handiwork of the police.
“The GSU leader and the ngos instead of appealing to lift the bandh ought to be pressuring the government to make a move to punish those responsible for the shootout at Oragitok”, the release added.
It also stated that the bandh, which is still underway at Ampati, would not pose any hindrance for the students as they are exempted from the purview of the shutdown. The outfit also claimed responsibility for the blank firing that took place at Rabhagre Cathilic Mission School during the bandh, near Tikrikilla in West Garo Hills.
The school had defied the bandh call. The outfit claimed that in the exchange of fire, their cadres had to part away with Rs. 5 lakh and one country made pistol. They also claimed responsibility for torching a Mahindra Pick Up at Raksamgre village in West Garo Hills. “They had resisted our bandh call and were transporting sand”, the release said.
The outfit also warned that it will not tolerate anyone opposing their bandh call. It stated that the outfit is not doing it for their advantage. – From Our Correspondent
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