Shillong: An active cadre of the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) surrendered before police in Meghalaya’s Eastern West Khasi Hills district on February 25, officials said.
The surrendered cadre has been identified as Samuel Wahlang Pahsyntiew, also known as Samuel Wahlang, a resident of Umpohwin under Mawlasnai outpost in Ri-Bhoi district.
He laid down arms before the Superintendent of Police of Eastern West Khasi Hills district at Mairang in the presence of his family members, village authorities and senior police officials.
Police said Pahsyntiew is suspected to have been involved in the IED blast near the Syndicate Bus Stand, which is close to Them Mator (Harijan Colony) at Iewmawlong in Shillong, on March 9, 2024, along with other similar incidents in recent years.
During preliminary examination, he allegedly disclosed that he, along with some Bangladesh-based HNLC cadres, has recruited around 20 individuals into the organisation over the past two years.
A case has been registered against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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Two other cadres, suspected to be involved in recruitment activities and in planting an IED at Umsning market on October 12, 2025 — which was later recovered and safely defused — have been arrested in Umsning. An investigation into the case is underway.
Police said further action will be taken in accordance with the law and the surrender policy of the state government.
The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, formed in 1992, operates mainly in the Khasi Hills
region of Meghalaya and has been declared an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act. The ban on the outfit was extended by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in
November 2024 for another five years.
