Security forces Friday busted a hideout of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) in western part of Meghalaya, killing a top rebel commander in a fierce gunbattle, police said. The gunbattle broke out in GNLA’s hideout at Dorengkigre area in East Garo Hills district, when the rebels fired at the security forces who were tracking them, IGP (Western Range) FD Sangma said.

Dorengkigre area is about 20 km from Williamnagar, the district headquarters of East Garo Hills. Githarson T Sangma alias Tusol, the area commander of GNLA in West Khasi Hills district was killed, Sangma said, adding that the Special Weapons and Tactics commandos backed by Combat Battalion for Resolute Action commandos was searching for another rebel who was believed to be critically wounded.

One sophisticated Heckler and Koch rifle, two pistols, two grenades, cache of ammunition were recovered from the site. GNLA, one of the five Garo tribal rebel groups, is fighting for a separate Garoland in the five impoverished districts of Garo Hills to be carved out from Meghalaya.

The outfit leader Champion R. Sangma, a former DSP  already arrested, had deserted Meghalaya Police owing to alleged harassment by his superiors and floated GNLA in November 2009, is fighting for a separate Garoland.

Sangma was arrested July 30 near the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya. The state government had terminated his services in July 2010.

GNLA, a proscribed outfit, had forged an operational alliance with ULFA and NDFB which provided it access to sophisticated arms and ammunition.