From Our Correspondent
TURA: The reported attack on the district jail at Williamnagar on Sunday night by unidentified gunmen who opened fire from the dark at a distance towards the rear end of the prison wall remains a mystery with no bullet casings having been found.
The armed guard on sentry duty in one of the watch towers of the prison opened fire from his service weapon after reportedly witnessing gunshots coming from the direction of a back road behind the rear of the jail at around 8:45 PM on Sunday.
“The sentry on duty retaliated after unknown armed miscreants opened fire from a little distance behind the jail’s back portion. They fired about five rounds before fleeing taking advantage of the darkness,” said district SP JFK Marak.
Authorities are yet to identify the group or men reportedly involved in the firing incident even as no organization has so far claimed responsibility.
What has baffled investigators is the lack of evidence in connection to the firing incident. A thorough search of the area where the firing was reported has failed to yield any ballistic evidence with no empty ammunition casings having been recovered, it was reported.
The area from where the firing was reported also leads up to the Samgong locality which houses the 5th Meghalaya Police Battalion headquarters.
The Williamnagar district jail was last attacked three months ago by a militant commander who had been previously jailed inside the very same prison for an attack on a senior lady politician.
The then ANVC-B militant commander Norrok X Momin was put inside the district jail for his attack on Congress leader and current Meghalaya Minister Deborah C Marak.
Ten days after his release on bail, on the night of February 2, the militant leader entered the prison compound with a group of armed cadres and opened fire indiscriminately before dragging out two unarmed jail officials assistant jailor Neil Warjri and warder Sarai Sing Thabah and killing them in cold blood.
Following the incident, the wanted ANVC-B militant commander Norrok broke away from the outfit with a handful of cadres to form the United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA). He remains a wanted man by the security forces.
