‘Threat of possible attacks forced us to shift arrested students to Jowai’
TURA: One among 25 students arrested for the Tura Deputy Commissioner’s office incident two weeks ago is a visually challenged person whose unconditional release has been sought by the Association of Challenged People.
Visually impaired student Luckson Sangma was arrested for being part of the group that barged into the DC’s office complex in which several government employees including women staff were manhandled by student activists of the Garo Hills State Movement committee during a Garoland bandh.
Secretary of Mikpinpan Challenged Association, Chengapara, Balam D Sangma and the former president of the Association of Challenged People, Tura, Robert Sangma met the Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi in his office chamber seeking the release of the arrested students.
“Luckson was staying in the Tura Government College hostel and is a 3rd year BA student. We want his release otherwise we will be compelled to move for justice under the People With Disabilities (PWD) Act of 1995,” claimed Balam D Sangma, Secretary of Mikpinpan Association in a statement to the media after Monday’s meeting.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi in a meeting with parents of the arrested students and a delegation of visually impaired persons clarified that the administration has already given in writing that it would not oppose the bail petition of the visually impaired student.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner told the delegation of parents that the district administration was compelled to shift the 23 arrested college students from Tura to Jowai jail following ‘threats’ of possible attacks from criminals inside the jail premises.
The parents of the arrested students had approached the Deputy Commissioner wanting to know the reason for the sudden shifting from Tura to Jowai.
“If our children are guilty of a crime then they ought to be punished according to the law. But why did the administration move out children out from Tura all the way to Jowai and no information was given to us?” questioned one of the parents at the meeting.
During the discussion with the delegation the Deputy Commissioner pointed out that the matter was now in the court and there was little he could do.
He claimed that the transfer to Jowai had to be done following inputs from jail authorities over possible violence and attacks on the students.
He added that it was for their safety and on the basis of the assessment made by the jail superintendent that they have been sent to Jowai.
“If there is a clash in the jail and their kids are beaten up by the hardened criminals who will take responsibility?” questioned Bakshi.
During the meeting one of the mother’s broke down revealing how she eked out a living selling firewood to sustain her family and send her child to college. She appealed to the administration for an unconditional release of the arrested students.