Shillong, Dec. 20: A Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) cadre was killed by suspected militants of the breakaway faction of the A’chik National Volunteers’ Council (ANVC-B) along West Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills border this morning.

The incident involving these two groups is the first of its kind since the outfits made their presence felt. Around 8am, firing took place between the two groups at Rongtok village near Simsang river. The village is around 30km from Shahlang and 120km from Nongstoin, the headquarters of West Khasi Hills.

Police said while there could be around seven GNLA cadres, the number of ANVC (B) militants were involved in the incident is not known.

One GNLA cadre died and two cadres of the outfit were injured. The rest of the cadres managed to flee, taking the injured with them.

The police also said the body of the GNLA militant was still in the village near the house of villager Dangthang, who is suspected to have harboured the outfit’s cadres.

“We do not have the names of the dead or the injured, but a police team from Shahlang has been sent to the village,” a police official said.

Stating that the police were yet to ascertain the cause of the incident, the official said earlier this year, a villager was killed by GNLA cadres in Chinanggre village, close to Rongtok.

The cadres had suspected the villager of being a supporter of the ANVC (B), he added.

A tripartite ceasefire agreement was inked between the ANVC, the Centre and state government on July 23, 2004, and the agreement was extended for another year from October 1, 2012.