Shillong, Feb 1: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president and Gambegre legislator Saleng A Sangma has expressed shock that the highly trained Special Force-10 commandos are being used as house guards and security guards, especially at a time when IED blasts by militants are becoming frequent.

“The objective of creating this particular SF-10 was to tackle militancy (in the state). However when I saw them as a houseguard, especially in the secretariat, I was shocked,” Sangma told reporters.

On May 11, 2021, the state Cabinet had approved the restructuring of the SF-10 for augmenting the availability of police personnel in the various outposts and police stations in the different districts of the state.

However, Sangma has questioned government’s this decision now.

“After the incident (bomb blast) that is taking place in the state, our state still need them (to tackle militancy in the state). I think it is a wrong decision on the part of the government to pull them and put them as security guards,” he said.

His statement comes a day after yet another IED blast was triggered at Police Bazar on Sunday evening.

Condemning the blast incident, the NCP state president said that he would soon take up the matter with the chief minister Conrad K Sangma and Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui for their intervention into the security lapses in the state.

“As president of the NCP, I will take up the matter with the CM and Home Minister regarding the security lapses that are happening within the state,” he said while citing that carrying an IED in the middle of the city like Laitumkhrah market and a populated area like police bazaar is not a joke.

“Their threatening is not a joke anymore. Government has to take it seriously as…if they can do it in the middle of the city, they can do anything to anybody,” he stated.

With the HNLC claiming responsibility for planting the IED blast in police bazar, the NCP leader said that it is high time for the state government to call the group for talks.

“If they (HNLC) have claimed it is high time for the government to take up a call, may be through table only anything for what reason they are doing this at least we can sort it out. Some kind of talks should be there because attempting to blast in the middle of the city is a very dangerous thing,” he asserted.