Wednesday, July 27 2005 15:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Shillong: Altogether, six militants of the underground outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) of Meghalaya have surrendered, even as a top police officer here today (July 27, 2005) claimed HNLC had links with National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) of Assam.

DGP W R Marbaniang told reporters here the HNLC was getting the expertise on explosives from the NDFB.

"The link (of HNLC) with NDFB is established with the recent arrest of some senior most operatives of the latter in the state," he said.

The claim comes in the wake of surrender of six HNLC activists, including its finance wing secretary, before the police on Monday (July 25, 2005).

With this, altogether 112 HNLC militants have surrendered before the police in the state, which Marbaniant claimed was mainly because of the fact that the cadres were not getting any financial support from the HNLC leaders, who are living in luxury in Bangladesh.

Speaking about the links between HNLC and NDFB, he said, it was also evident from kidnapping cases in Jaintia Hills recently.

Inspite of the links between the two, there was also an element of distrust between them, he said citing the killing of one Raju Sharma, who was reportedly slain by the HNLC despite having paid ransom to the NDFB.

The distrust also led the NDFB on occasions, to refuse supplying arms to the HNLC, as the latter did not pay for it and the ANVC (another militant outfit based in Garo Hills) was getting more support from the bodo ultras, the DGP said.