Meghalaya govt denies allowing RAW to operate in Bangladesh

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 22, 2019

SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong today categorically denied allegations by the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) that the state government is allowing the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to operate in Bangladesh.

“I am shocked at the statement made by the outfit but I tell you that we have no role at all to allow or not the RAW to operate in Bangladesh,” Tynsong said here.

“We are also not aware as the role of the RAW you know, they do not have to consult any state government,” he said while refusing to comment on the BSF by citing that it is also a central government agency.

The general secretary-cum-publicity secretary of the outfit Sainkupar Nongtraw in a statement yesterday had stated – “The Government of Meghalaya and BSF are therefore being responsible to achieve their selfish gains, by giving way to the RAW to operate in the Bangladesh soil. This is a threat to the country as a whole. Any wrong step could cause damage to both the sides of the border.”

Nongtraw alleged that the Government of Meghalaya in collaboration with the BSF are using local indigenous Khasi people from the international border as well as people belonging to the Bengali Hindu community as “informers” to report the activities of the HNLC in the Bangladesh soil.

“We have received inputs from our reliable sources that the RAW is also involved in this activity. It is a well known fact that the RAW is responsible for spreading hatred amongst the locals and the HNLC not only in Bangladesh but in many countries. Their work is to infiltrate and spread the seeds of disunity and create enmity,” he said.

“Initially they will use these people as informers and then they will be used as agents of RAW to keep a check on the daily activities of the Bangladesh government,” Nongtraw added.

Stating that the indigenous Khasi people have been residing in Bangladesh for many decades, the HNLC leader said this so called tactics will bring in a lot of misunderstanding among the people resulting in inter ethnic clashes.