By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Given the tense situation in Shillong, the Meghalaya government on Monday ordered a judicial probe into the killing of former insurgent leader Cheristerfield Thangkhiew by the police.
The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting and it came a day after mobs of people virtually held Shillong to ransom protesting the killing. The protestors had torched a police vehicle, damaged several others, and snatched weapons from the cops.
An official statement said the Cabinet decided to constitute a judicial inquiry to look into the events that took place in the morning hours of August 13 when Thangkhiew, the former general secretary of insurgent group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, was killed at his house by a joint team of the police of two districts.
The government decided to set up a peace committee, to be headed by Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong. Ministers Hamlet Dohling and Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar will be its members. The committee will co-opt other members from the civil society including religious organisations and other stakeholders.
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The government also decided to constitute a sub-committee for security and law and order, which will be headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Tynsong, and Home Minister. It will look into different aspects of the law and order situation.
The Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui had tendered his resignation to the CM on Sunday but it is yet to be accepted.
Curfew, clamped in Shillong on Sunday evening, continued while mobile internet/data services remained suspended in four districts, including East Khasi Hills of which Shillong is the headquarters.
Meanwhile, three police personnel were suspended. Their vehicle and weapons were snatched during Sunday’s violence by a group of unidentified people that later torched the vehicle. Efforts were being made by the police to identify the people and recover the weapons.
BJP leader and former minister AL Hek demanded the resignation of the state’s police chief R Chandranathan. Chandranathan had said earlier that the cops had to open fire at the slain former insurgent leader in self-defence after the latter had pulled out a knife and tried to attack the personnel.
The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission has directed the state’s chief secretary to submit a detailed report within 15 days for further necessary orders. It said if the report was found not satisfactory, it would conduct its own investigation.
