Chief minister Mukul Sangma (right) meets ANVC and ANVC-B representatives in Shillong. File picture
Shillong, Dec. 9: The narrative of the winter of December 1995 and the storyline of December 2014 have a parallel - one marking the beginning and the other marking the culmination.
It was on December 20, 1995, that an armed group, the A'chik National Volunteers' Council (ANVC), led by Dilash Marak as 'chairman' and Jerome Momin as 'commander-in-chief' took centre stage in Garo hills.
From 1995 to 2004, the ANVC had posed a serious challenge to security forces and the political and bureaucratic establishment. However, in 2004, a tripartite ceasefire agreement was signed, which marked a momentary closure to the bloodshed.
But it was not until September 24 this year that the ultimate memorandum of settlement saw the light of day. Both the tripartite ceasefire agreement and the memorandum of settlement were signed in the national capital.
On December 15, 2014, the ANVC, along with its breakaway faction, which appeared in 2011 under the leadership of Rimpu Marak, will be officially disbanded in Tura, West Garo Hills. The West Garo Hills district administration is gearing up for the 'grand ceremony' to welcome hundreds of cadres of the ANVC and the ANVC (B) to join the 'mainstream'.
The tryst with destiny, which is expected to symbolise hope for the entire Garo Hills, will be made at the stadium at Dakopgre in Tura.
ANVC publicity secretary Arist Sangma, speaking over phone from Tura, sounded optimistic about his group joining the mainstream.
He said the ANVC has 162 combat and 285 civilian cadres, and all of them are expected to be present when the formal disbanding of the outfit takes place. The group will also bring along arms and ammunition to be handed over to the government. 'On December 15, ANVC will vanish from Garo hills,' Sangma said.
However, for the benefit of its cadres, the ANVC will take a new name 'Chellongma Kotok', which literally means a 'group of wasps'.
From a group of armed men to a group of wasps - that will be the narrative to be played out following the disbanding of the outfit.
On why a disbanded organisation should be renamed as a 'group of wasps', he said, 'We will be staying together and we need to protect each other. But if there is any outsider who attacks us, we will retaliate like wasps.'
The ANVC had signed the memorandum of settlement on the idea that the existing Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) should be empowered, both in terms of numbers of seats and the powers it can exercise.
However, the increase in the number of seats from the present 29 to the proposed 40, will take place only when Parliament amendments the Sixth Schedule.
The government has proposed to hold the council elections, which has been deferred from February this year, in the last week of February 2015.
The state government had earlier extended the tenure of the GHADC by six months. The tenure of the council was first extended for six months from February 18 this year which expired on August 17.
On whether the leaders of the disbanded outfit will participate in elections, Sangma said, 'We will decide after December 15. Some colleagues may contest, but there is no confirmation as yet.'
To a query as to whether the ANVC would reiterate its call to other militant groups in Garo hills to give up violence and join the mainstream, Sangma said, 'We are still not sure about the benefits our cadres would be receiving from the government. Only after we are certain about the benefits, we will be in a position to reach out to others.'
Sangma also appealed to his cadres to report to the outfit's liaison office at Youth Hostel in Tura before Friday.
He said a joint verification of the cadres and the arms and ammunition by ANVC leaders and government officials would take place on Friday and Saturday.
In a similar appeal, the ANVC (B) today gave a 'final call' to all its cadres to report to its camp at Eden Bari in Tura by Friday. 'Cadres who fail to report will be excluded from the final list, which will be submitted to the government. This call is final and the organisation will have no responsibility of those who fail to report on time,' ANVC (B) general secretary Jakrik Wareng said in a statement.
The ANVC (B) reportedly has around 151 cadres.
West Garo Hills deputy commissioner Pravin Bakshi, who is overseeing the preparations for the disbanding ceremony, was looking forward to the day 'with great hope'.
'Thousands had waited to see this day. We have invited leaders from NGOs, social organisations, churches and Shalom Meghalaya to be present on the day,' he said.
He said the government was preparing a plan under the Integrated Basin Development Livelihood Promotion Programme to impart vocational training to the cadres.
Chief minister Mukul Sangma and officials from the Union ministry of home affairs and the state government are expected to be present during the disbanding ceremony.