Meghalaya tightens security for Republic Day

Shillong, Jan 25 (UNI) Security measures were tightened in Meghalaya in view of the boycott call of Republic Day by the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council(HNLC), official sources said today.

Central Paramilitary Forces and police personnel were deployed at various places of the city. Police commandoes were checking all vehicles passing through the city and Meghalaya-Assam border to detect movement of insurgents who might infiltrate in the state capital to disrupt the celebrations.

The HNLC, which has been fighting for an 'independent Hynniewtrep homeland' for some decades, has called a 24-hour bandh to boycott tomorrow's celebrations in Khasi and Jaintia Hills areas of the state. The bandh would be in force from 1800 hours today till 1800 hours tomorrow.

BSF personnel guarding the porous Indo-Bangla border were also directed to keep an extra vigil to thwart attempts by North East-based militants to sneak into India from their hideouts in Bangladesh, he said.

There are at least 176 camps and hideouts of such ultra outfits entrenched in Bangladesh.

Governor Shivinder Singh Sidhu would unfurl the tri-colour at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here tomorrow.

UNI RRK PL MS AS1726