Meghalaya police specialised in fake encounters: HNLC

Shillong, Nov 1 (UNI) The proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has alleged that five of its cadres were killed in a fake encounter.

In a statement issued here today, the outfit's publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw condemned the killing of its five cadres and alleged that the Megahalaya police were specialised in carrying out fake encounters.

The HNLC ultras were killed in an encounter with the police on October 30.

Mr Nongtraw claimed that police had arrested the six HNLC ultras when they were travelling in a car and allowed only one of them to escape.

''After allowing Anthony Mawthoh to escape, police shot dead all the other five cadres,'' he said.

A Special Operation Team had gunned down five HNLC activists, including a former Khasi Student's Union leader and active member of Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement, which is part of the ruling Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government.

However, police maintained that all the five ultras were killed after the Special Operation Team retaliated to the firing from the militants.

''If it was not an encounter, how two of our security personnel were injured in the incident,'' East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police A R Mawthoh told UNI.

Mr Mawthoh was reacting to the KSU'a allegations, saying that it was a ''fake encounter'' and the militants had not retaliated to the police.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People's (FKJGP) and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement condemned the killing of the five HNLC militants.

The FKJGP also demanded an independent probe into the incident.

UNI