The extremely poor turnout of shoppers in the main market area, which also houses the four-storeyed Tura Super Market complex, has created panic not just among the shoppers but even among traders.
The speculations about a possible attack by two little known Garo militant groups– Peoples’ Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M) and Liberation of Achik Elite force (LAEF), first surfaced on Friday last after the arrest of a PLF-M sympathiser.
The arrested person reportedly confessed to police about a planned attack at the heart of Garo Hills during the peak shopping season ahead of Christmas.
While the antecedents of the arrested person appeared to be dubious police were taking no chances and began cordoning off important places such as the Deputy Commissioner’s office complex and the Tura market.
The frisking of passengers and their luggages further created fear among the town’s population who anticipated the worst.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, F R Kharkongor, and Superintendent of Police J F K Marak downplayed the heightened security terming it as routine in view of the Christmas season. They also denied any plans by militants to target populated places.
However, fear had already began to stalk the town particularly because of a grenade attack inside the super market in July 2006 resulting in the death of two civilians. The LAEF carried out the operation and its commander in chief was hunted down and killed by security forces two months later.
The PLF-M and LAEF have recently tied up and are being groomed by militants belonging to the NSCN-IM whose cadres are jointly moving through the jungles of Garo Hills raising concern for security forces in the region.