From Our Correspondent
TURA: The Garo Students’ Union (GSU) Western Zone (North), Dadenggre, has condemned the gross violation of human rights through physical violence and attempts to terrorise the people in some interior villages under the Dadenggre Civil Sub-Division by the SDPO.
The students’ body, in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, has demanded immediate and strict action against Bruno Sangma, the SDPO of Dadenggre Sub Division, who has allegedly been physically and mentally abusing the villagers of the Sub-Division.
According to the GSU, a police team led by Sangma had gone to the village of Dabonggre on August 6 and on reaching there he commanded a group of villagers to come near him and then ordered all of them to lie down on the ground without citing any reason. The villagers obeyed the order in fear but were beaten up severely by the police team which led to some of them being seriously injuries.
Other villagers, on seeing the plight of their fellowmen, tried to flee the spot but the DSP chased them down and beat them up mercilessly, not even sparing a seven-month pregnant woman and an ailing senior citizen.
Naming a few villages like Rondupara, Dimakgre and Bikonggre where the cops had displayed acts of brutality and violence, the GSU said that the police act of violence at Dabonggre is only one of the many police atrocities being unleashed in villages under the Dadenggre Sub-Division.
The Union further alleged that in Dimakgre, a 13-year-old boy and woman were also beaten up along with other villagers by the police team in which the woman was injured to such an extent that she was unable to move properly.
Allegedly, the DSP had claimed at a public gathering at Dipogre that he had been sent by the Chief Minister himself to do whatever he was doing.
The Union also informed that the same DSP was also forcibly using some villagers as guide during their operations, while adding that recently the police had forced a villager to guide them on their way to Dabonggre.
“As per our knowledge any individual of our country cannot be forced in any way by any group or department. It is a violation of an individual’s right given by the law of our land,” the GSU stated and added that the police had put the villager’s life at risk. “Had there been an ambush the villager could have been killed,” the Union added.
GSU also expressed fear that such irresponsible acts on the part of the DSP would create fear psychosis in the minds of the poor villagers and might even compel the youth to join some anti-social group which would in turn disturb the peace and tranquility of the area and could aggravate the law and order situation in Garo Hills.
“We demand immediate removal of the DSP from his post and the Home Department should apologise to the villagers through the media for the inhuman acts,” GSU said, adding that the aggrieved villagers should be given compensation for the brutality unleashed on them and all the necessary process for the compensation should be initiated with an enquiry within a week.
The Union also threatened to embark on a series of democratic agitational programmes if their demands remain unfulfilled.