Militants attack averted on deputy commissioner In Meghalaya by alert driver

Armed militants tried to stop the vehicle of the deputy commissioner of Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district in a remote area, but the alertness of his driver had saved him.

The incident occurred last night when Deputy Commissioner C P Gotmare, along with his personal security officer (PSO), was returning after attending a meeting here.

"I was returning from an official meeting in Shillong using the route through the South Garo Hills side via Mahadeo and Rongara when my PSO spotted a group of heavily armed militants just before reaching Adugre," Gotmare told PTI.

He said it was a remote area about five kilometres from Williamnagar, the district headquarter.

The driver switched off the beacon light, turned the vehicle and sped away, he said.

Seeing that the car was going away, the militants came running behind the car and fired several rounds but none was injured, the police said.

The police after being informed had gone to the spot but the militants had fled by that time.

Several militant groups have resurfaced in the Garo Hills region and the police said militants of the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) could have been involved in the incide.