Meghalaya’s most wanted militant Sohan Shira shot dead

Guwahati: In a major breakthrough, security forces on Saturday gunned down the self-styled commander-in chief and one of the most wanted terrorists Sohan D. Shira in an encounter in Meghalaya.

The Meghalaya police had launched an operation against the GNLA commander after he was found to have been involved in killing of NCP candidate  for Willimanagar Assembly constituency Jonathone N. Sangma in East Garo Hills on February 18.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the police succeeded in cornering Shira at Dobu A’chakpek in East Garo Hills district. on Saturday.

Shira carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.Sangma, his personal security officer and two party workers were killed in an explosion when their convoy was returning from a campaign.

The attack was seen as an attempt by terrorist group to discourage people from participating in Assembly elections next week.

The GNLA was operating with the anti-talk Ulfa (Independent) in the Garo Hills region, which is sandwiched between Bangladesh on south and Assam on north. This area has for long been used as the passage to move in and out of Bangladesh clandestinely.

The GNLA was formed in the year 2010 by a senior police officer Pakchara R. Sangma who deserted the state police to launch the outfit. He had launched the outfit, originally to fight for a “sovereign Garoland” in western areas of Meghalaya. Slowly, it turned into a terror outfit with many instances of killings, abduction, extortion, bomb blasts and attacks on security forces.

Sources said that slain GNLA commander was reported to have returned from Bangladesh in December 2017 after a crackdown by security forces in Bangladesh.