LAEF claims responsibility, police vows to thwart anti-nationals

Shillong, June 24 (UNI) The Liberation of A'chik Elite Force (LAEF) has claimed the responsibility of Friday night's serial blasts that killed a person and injured 11, even as the Meghalaya police sought more central forces to combat threats of insurgency.

LAEF's convenor Chingkam Marak called up a local daily here and claimed the responsibility for triggering three grenade explosions at Tura in West Garo Hills, Mendipathar in East Garo Hills and the coal-rich of Nangalbibra in South Garo Hills.

Three out of five injured in the Nangalbibra grenade explosion have been shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital as their condition had deteriorated.

''This is our introduction to the Meghalaya government that we mean business,'' the local daily quoted Marak as saying. He said the outfit planned to carry out blasts at six different places of Garo Hills.

''We called off the plan for blasts in three other locations on the orders of our 'commander-in-chief', who felt many innocent lives would be lost due to heavy presence of civilians in those areas,'' the LAEF claimed.

Meanwhile, the state police suggested the government to seek two more companies of Central para-military forces to be deployed in Garo Hills to deal with the situation.

The state police's recommendation came after senior government and police officials reviewed the over all law-and-order situation of the state.

UNI