Catholic schools NE India close to protest extortion

May 20, 2014 - ‎All Catholic schools in Garo hills in Meghalaya state, in northeast India remained closed on Tuesday to ‎protest increased extortion attempts from some separatists groups in the area. In the latest event, ‎Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School in Dalu received a demand note from Achik National ‎Liberation Army (ANLA) to pay 500,000 rupees. The catholic institutions in Dalu held a prayer service ‎for peace in Garo hills Monday. In this backdrop all schools in Garo hills remained closed on Tuesday.
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Father Benny Joseph, principal of Sacred Heart Higher secondary in Williamnagar, in a message ‎appealed all underground groups to stop kidnapping, extortion and killing. “What a shame for Garo ‎hills. It is true that many people including the local people are fleeing for their life from Garo Hills. It is ‎interesting to note that when an anti-social element is shot dead most of the political leaders make noise ‎but when number of civilians are killed by these same anti-social elements nobody has any voice," he ‎said. He also appealed the militants to respect the human life and spelled out a decision of the catholic ‎institution to begin a campaign against militancy. Meanwhile in an encounter on Tuesday, 5 rebels of ‎the United Achik Liberation Army were killed and a police officer was injured in a gun battle, as ‎security forces foiled a terror plot in Meghalaya.‎ (Source: UCAN)