By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A hearing of the Shillong jailbreak inquiry commission witnessed heated arguments on Friday when the government counsels, with the support of Justice (retd) SP Rajkhowa, wanted immediate closure of the hearing process against the SCAMoD demand for cross-examination of more government witnesses.
The government representatives urged the Commission headed by Rajkhowa to conclude the inquiry on Friday itself since “nothing concrete has evolved from the hearings that were going on for months”.
Even though the judge advocated closure of the inquiry as per the wish of the government representatives, the SCAMoD advocate argued that more witnesses should be allowed to be cross-examined for unravelling of the truth behind the jailbreak.
“We will not allow this (closure of inquiry) to happen as there are some more people who are yet to be cross-examined,” SCAMoD leader Agnes Kharshiing said.
After much deliberation, Justice (retd) SP Rajkhowa said there should be two more hearings and accordingly fixed the next hearing on August 17 and 18.
Police officers KM Poshna and R Syngkon, inspectors G Wahlang and K Prasad and sub-inspector K Marak will be cross-examined during the two-day hearing.
The sitting of the inquiry commission may further be extended to August 19 to reach a conclusion of the inquiry process.
Meanwhile, the DG (Prison) Kulbir Krishan failed to show up at the hearing on Friday.
Earlier, the government counsel, following the 25th sitting of the commission, had said, “Government accepts the lapses in matters of running the jail with evidences of money and mobile phones in possession of the under trial prisoners (UTPs) while, collusion between the officials and the under trial prisoners pervaded with money being brought to jail.”
The inquiry commission was set up after six UTPs led by their gang leader Fullmoon Dhar made the sensational escape from Shillong District Jail in 2009 and subsequently Dhar was shot dead in an alleged fake encounter by the police in Jaintia Hills the next day.
Fullmoon’s death had sparked off a controversy as it was alleged that he was killed in order to protect some influential people who allegedly had links with the notorious criminal.