When an Almost Dead Militancy Reappears

On the evening on February 18, Jonathone Nengminza Sangma, the NCP candidate from Williamnagar constituency, was killed in an IED attack. The blast was followed by firing, which left Sangma and three others dead. Among the dead, were Sangma’s PSO, a 12th standard student from Williamnagar, and Nikkam Ch Momin.

This attack comes as a surprise considering that the election observers had declared that the conditions in Meghalaya were ‘congenial’ to holding elections. The attack was allegedly carried out by the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), which had earlier put up posters in the constituency, warning voters against voting for Jonathone Sangma. This was not the first time the GNLA had targeted Sangma. In 2013, ahead of the assembly elections, the outfit had issued similar threats. Sangma lost the election and Deborah C. Marak, the INC candidate won. Sangma instituted an FIR against Marak alleging that she had conspired with the GNLA to secure her victory. Cut forward to 2018, and Sangma is dead and the case is still pending. What makes the attack worth noticing is that among the dead was a surrendered GNLA militant.

Nikkam Ch Momin, more infamously known as Baichung Momin was the area commander of Chokpot. Before his surrender, he had become the number 2 in the GNLA, under Commander in Chief Sohan D Shira. Before joining the GNLA, Momin had been a member of the Achik National Volunteer Corps (ANVC). After the ANVC signed a ceasefire with the Union Government in 2004, Momin came over the ground. Between 2010 and 2011, he got into a brawl with some revellers in which he bludgeoned one of them to death at the GHADC guest house. He disappeared after the brawl to later emerge as a member of the GNLA. Momin quickly rose through the ranks with a reputation for brutality. In December 2016, Momin surrendered in Chokpot, following the arrest of two of his aides, for attempting to deposit demonetised notes in his account. His accounts were subsequently frozen which prompted his surrender. His surrender was seen as a major accomplishment towards ending the run of the GNLA.

Surrendered militants always face the threat of attack. They are at risk from the relatives of those they had killed while they were a part of a militancy, as well as their former comrades in arms after their surrender. What is uncertain about this attack is who was the target. In 2013, when Sangma ran as an independent candidate, the GNLA was a lot stronger than it is now. Had they wanted him dead, he would have been. On the other hand, Momin, who had abandoned the group was present in Sangma’s vehicle. Whether Sangma sought to improve his chance of winning by courting former militants can only be speculated. What cannot be disputed is that Sangma was travelling with a bullseye.

On February 16, two days before the attack, a surrendered member of the GNLA had informed the BSF that the GNLA had split into two groups, one group headed by Sohan Shira consisting of 12 members including Shira were camping in the South Garo Hills. The other group consisting of 7 members were attached to the cadres of ULFA(I) Western Command and Deputy Commander in Chief, Drishti Rajkhowa were in the Khasi Hills. Williamnagar, being in the East Garo Hills, would have been easily accessible to the group led by Shira. Chokpot, Momin’s hometown falls within the South Garo Hills and lies close to Williamnagar. The attack could very well have been a case of killing two birds with one stone.