The special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Shillong on November 30 summoned four Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) leaders, reports The Shillong Times. The NIA has in a lookout notice published in local newspapers served notices on the HNLC leaders including Bobby Marwein, Marius Rynjah and Sainkupar Nongtraw. They have been summoned before the special judge of the NIA on January 4, 2023. The HNLC reacted sharply to this “surprise summons” at a time when the tripartite peace process is under way. Nongtraw, the HNLC general secretary cum spokesperson, issued a statement terming the notices as “uncalled for” and “a clear-cut indication” that the authorities concerned have bypassed the entire procedure of the ongoing peace talks. “Before the initiation of the ongoing tripartite peace talks, we had made it clear that all its cases should be withdrawn so as to ensure a secure environment for pursuing the peace talks,” he said.