Murder of five labourers in South Garo Hills
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Deputy Commissioner of South Garo Hills, Chinmay P Gotmare, on Wednesday ruled out any magisterial inquiry into the recent incident where militants killed five innocent labourers in a coal mine at Nangalbibra.
“I do not see any reason for any magisterial inquiry as it is a clear case of militant attack and we suspect it to be the handiwork of the UALA,” Gotmare said.
Around seven armed militants holding three AK rifles, several small arms and grenades, had arrived at the mine quarry at Nangalbibra and shot dead five labourers for no fault of theirs. It is learnt that the militants of the United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) had reportedly ordered the closure of the Darangdura coal mine in Nangalbibra over ‘extortion demands’
According to the Deputy Commissioner, the attack is a tactic of the UALA to terrorize people so that they can extort.
Reacting to a query about the security steps taken up in various coal mines of the district in view of the attacks, the District head admitted that there is a huge paucity of police personnel and the district administration is forced to take the help of Sub-divisional staff.
The Deputy Commissioner and the District Superintendent of Police on Wednesday paid a visit to the coal mine to take stock of the situation.
Gotmare said that the district administration on the same day just before the incident had ordered for promulgation of Section 133 CrPC which prohibits coal mining in the coal quarries.
The district administration had ordered for banning of coal mining in view of the rainy conditions which could have lead to a catastrophe in the coal quarries.
Meanwhile, a prominent organization in Goalpara, Assam has called a 12-hour bandh in the district starting from 5 am on Thursday in protest against the killing of five coal labourers by militants in Garo Hills.
Assam Sankhyalaghu Sangram Parishad, called the dawn-to-dusk bandh to protest against the barbaric killing of the mine workers hailing from Goalpara.
The coal labourers were executed by the Garo Hills based United Achik Liberation Army (UALA) on Monday after segregating them from others at the coal quarry in South Garo Hills.
The Parisad is likely to meet Meghalaya Chief Minister and Governor soon.