NONGSTOIN/ GUWAHATI: Several persons were injured after Assam police on Thursday resorted to lathi-charge against the Khasi residents and staff of the MeECL in Umwali near Langpih over an electrification issue.
A few women and children were also injured in the incident.
Sources said out of 28 injured persons, 16 were shifted from Nonglang PHC to Nongstoin Civil Hospital for better treatment.
However, media reports from Assam said Police picked up two persons for questioning in regard to an alleged attack on police personnel manning a border outpost in Langpih on the Kamrup-West Khasi Hills border and subsequent clash in which four policemen and at least six villagers were injured.
According to sources, the Assam police had opposed twice the project of Meghalaya government to electrify all the villages in Langpih and on Thursday at 12 noon, Assam police personnel came to Umwali where the villagers and staff of MeECL were working to clear the forest for electrification.
Sources said the police first started to beat the MeECL driver.
Though the villagers and the staff of the MeECL pleaded with the police, many of them were beaten up.
Police later arrested the driver of the MeECL and the Secretary of Umwali village.
P. Syiemiong, headman of Umwali, who also faced the lathi-charge of the Assam Police, revealed that a few months back, the state government launched the scheme called the Electrical Development Project of Meghalaya aimed at electrifying all the villages in the border area, including Langpih, and after the state government launched the project, the Assam government blocked it only to re-implement the same on February 13 following the intervention of the KSU West Khasi Hills district.
Syiemiong said since Umwali will hold a church service in March, the villagers wanted to speed up the electrification of the area and they offered help to the MeECL staff but unfortunately, they were beaten up.
The district administration of West Khasi Hills on Thursday sent the Sub Divisional Police Officer of Mawshynrut and the District Magistrate to take stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, the KSU West Khasi Hills unit and the KSU Rimuliang circle have asked the state government to intervene into the matter as it is not the first time that the Assam police and Assam government violated the status quo.
The KSU general secretary Rishot Kharbani said the union has asked the Assam government to release the staff of MeECL and the secretary of Umwali village from police custody.
Rishot said the Assam government will have to compensate those victims who were injured during the lathi-charge.
The KSU also asked the state government to file a case with the National Human Rights Commission and the Meghalaya State Commission for Women against Assam police.
Police sources in Assam said the clash took place after the residents were stopped by the border outpost personnel from setting up electric posts in the “disputed” area.
“We came to know of a clash between police and residents over setting up of electric poles in the area this afternoon. Four police personnel were injured after the residents attacked them with catapults following which our men had to resort to lathi-charge to control the attackers. Some villagers were also injured we have learnt,” Jogen Barman, officer-in-charge of Boko police station told The Shillong Times from the clash site on Thursday evening.
“The policemen were admitted to Boko community health centre for treatment. However, it is not yet known, how many villagers of Langpih were injured,” Barman said.
According to reports, both the states have agreed to maintain status quo on the border while any developmental activity in the disputed areas should be taken up only after prior information and mutual discussion by the deputy commissioners.
Areas in the village do not get electricity and hence the villagers had tried to set up electric poles.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, West Khasi Hills superintendent of police, BJ Laloo said at least six persons, including women, from Meghalaya, were injured in the clash.
“We have learnt that a team from Dhar Construction Company, had gone to the village, Umwali, for setting up electric poles. The firm, which also looks after maintenance of MeECL power lines, had also engaged some villagers in the work. However, Assam police came after they were informed by someone and tried to stop the work following which an agitated section pelted stones at them. A lathi-charge followed in which at least six villagers were injured. Some Assam police personnel were also injured,” Laloo said.
“We are trying to gather more information but the phone network is very poor,” he added.
