GNLA cadres. File picture

Shillong, Oct. 12: Militancy in Meghalaya’s Garo hills region has seen a decline in the last few weeks and cadres belonging to various outfits have come out to surrender.

In the past week, at least 10 militants, particularly from the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), had surrendered before police in Garo hills.

On Monday, six GNLA cadres surrendered before Meghalaya police in Tura, West Garo Hills.

Manan Ch. Sangma, 30, alias Kimpret, “area commander” of Dadeng, led the surrendered cadres.

Most of them were recruits of the 2010 batch and were trained in the Durama hill range in Garo hills.

The laying down of arms by the GNLA cadres has also come at a time when intelligence reports indicate that the GNLA “commander-in-chief” Sohan D. Shira has taken shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh, sources said.

With both the GNLA “chairman” and “vice-chairman” in prison the cadres have been under the command of their “commander-in-chief”.

GNLA “chairman” Champion R. Sangma has been in jail since 2012 and “vice-chairman” Rapiush Ch. Sangma was arrested in June this year.

The sources also said militants in Garo hills have also been feeling the heat with intense operations being launched against them by state police along with central armed paramilitary forces.

Meghalaya police had initiated “Operation Hill Storm” in July this year leading to flush-out of militants which has led to the arrests of cadres, busting of hideouts and training camps in different parts of the region especially in the Durama hill range, the sources added.

Citing intelligence inputs, officials in the home department said Shira had been in Bangladesh for the past two months following the intense operations launched to arrest the GNLA leader.

“With Shira taking shelter in Bangladesh, some of the cadres felt neglected as they were left to fend for themselves. This led them to come out and surrender before the police. There could be many more who would follow the same path,” a source in the government said.

According to the scheme for surrender-cum-rehabilitation of militants in the Northeast of the Union ministry of home affairs, a surrendered militant is entitled to an immediate grant of Rs 1.5 lakh. The amount is to be kept in a bank in the name of the surrendered cadre as a fixed deposit for a period of three years.

The amount is to be kept in a bank in the name of the surrendered cadre as a fixed deposit for a period of three years.

The money can also be utilised as collateral security/margin money against loan to be availed by a surrendered cadre from the bank.

Moreover, the ministry has prescribed a stipend of Rs 3,500 a month for a period of one year to the surrendered cadres.

Vocational training is also given so that the cadres could become self-employed.