A self-styled area commander of the outlawed Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) surrendered before the Border Security Force (BSF) in East Jaiñtia Hills today.
Junel Tongper, surrendered before the Inspector General of BSF Meghalaya Frontier, Inderjit Singh Rana, at the BSF border outpost at Umkiang.
A resident of Lumphyllut village under Umkiang police station, Tongper had joined the HNLC in 2010. He was arrested in 2015 but later released on bail. He absconded and rejoined the HNLC in November 2020.
During the surrender programme, Tongper said he was based at Panaipunjee under the jurisdiction of the Kulaura police station in Moulvibazar district in Bangladesh. “I was misled and misguided due to lack of employment opportunities,” he said. He also said that his decision to surrender was due to the desire of his parents who are unwell.
According to the BSF Inspector General, the HNLC had lured Tongper to join the outfit taking advantage of his economic condition. “The HNLC had lured Tongper to join the outfit, and exploited him for carrying out unlawful activities,” Rana said. He said the border protection force in Meghalaya is making all-out efforts to help such misguided youth return to the mainstream.
Rana said that insurgency and militancy prevail in certain pockets due to illiteracy and unemployment. “BSF has also given an assurance that such people will be given the facilities of skill development, vocational training, and remunerative amount post surrender,” Rana said.
During the surrender ceremony, the BSF also handed over a cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh to Tongper to enable him to start a new life. Meanwhile, the BSF said that it was in touch with Tongper continuously for the past one year to convince him to surrender. “The restless and intense efforts of BSF bore fruits and finally Junel Tongper was motivated to join the mainstream. It is a huge blow to militancy in Meghalaya, and more such misguided youths will join the mainstream in times to come,” the BSF said in a statement.
Others present at the surrender ceremony included East Jaiñtia Hills Superintendent of Police Jagpal Singh Dhanoa, headman of Umkiang village and family members of Tongper.
