Shillong, Sept 23: Even as police claimed a former headmaster had admitted his links with the banned HNLC, the outfit has denied his current involvement and that his arrest was an attempt to tarnish his image ahead of the autonomous district council elections.
Stormwell Mawdoh, the ex-headmaster of Laishnong Secondary School, Mawlangsu, West Khasi Hills, was arrested from his residence at Umpling, Shillong for his alleged involvement collection of extortion money from victims on behalf of the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
On the police claim that he had confessed to be the “HNLC treasurer”, the outfit said, “The allegation made against Mawdoh by the police lacks substantiation, and we urge the authorities to provide tangible evidence to corroborate their claim.”
“I have learned from his Facebook post and other sources that Mawdoh has shown interest in participating in the upcoming MDC election…The actions of police in tarnishing Mawdoh’s character, by falsely linking him to the HNLC, are troubling,” said Sainkupar Nongtraw, general secretary-cum-publicity secretary of Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
Asserting that he was not a surrendered member of HNLC, the Nongtraw said, “He was in fact apprehended in June 2015 as an active HNLC member. On the second occasion of his arrest from his residence, police implicated him as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the HNLC.”
“The allegation made against Mawdoh by the police lacks substantiation, and we urge the authorities to provide tangible evidence to corroborate their claim regarding his association with the HNLC,” he said.
