Businessmen bound to pay income tax to outfit: HNLC

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 4, 2020

Claiming responsibility over the Shallang firing incident, the banned Khasi rebel outfit, Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has asked all businessmen to pay income tax to the outfit or else they will have to face the consequences.

“Our organization (HNLC) hereby claims responsibility for yesterday morning shootout at Kyllong-mathei village Shallang. Yesterday’s operation was a warning shot (against one Dharambir Bansal Dharmu),” outfit’s general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said in a statement issued here on Thursday.

Terming the claims of the police that it was the work of miscreants, Nongtraw said, “We are not bloody miscreants, we are Guerrilla and HNLC had simultaneously carried out an IED blast at his coal and coke factory in…February, due to his involvement in several illegal businesses as an act of benami trade… jobs were also not provided to the local unemployed.”

He also alleged that Dharambir Bansal Dharmu had enjoyed special privilege and security provided to him by the police department, since the higher officials are under his payroll and said, “We have time and again made statement that it is not possible for the police to provide security 24/7. Our cadres are always observing them.”

The HNLC also expressed concern over the present situation due COVID-19 where thousands of youths are rendered jobless. It also questioned as where would those who have returned to the state go for employment.

“If these so called businessmen do not provide jobs to our locals then they do not have the right to operate their businesses, as they are earning profit and revenue from our Hynniewtrep land. This is to be noted that all businessmen including the Benami traders are bound to pay income tax to the HNLC or else they face consequences,” Nongtraw stated in the statement.

“Yesterday our cadres could have killed Bhansal from a close range with our AK-47 rifles. But the orders were just to give him a warning shot with sprayed bullets, proving that we weren’t joking when we had warned him. Our cadres have even identified his personal security guards. Very soon they shall also face punishment for shielding Dharmu. This goes out to all the traders who do not cooperate to our protocols,” he added.

Meanwhile, the HNLC has attacked the fourth estate of democracy by alleging that they have now succumbed to the pressure of the police and the government.

The statement further alleged that many of the outfit’s statements were not published either due to fear of police or due to some monetary favors provided to the press by the police.