Langpih killing
SHILLONG: With simme-ring tension at Langpih on the Meghalaya – Assam border, the Meghalaya government is concerned that the Assam Government is yet to take action against the police personnel involved in the firing incident at Langpih which left four Khasi villagers dead and 12 others injured nearly four years ago.
An official source said on Saturday that there was no move on the part of Assam Government to punish the erring police officials.
On May 14, 2010, four Khasi villagers identified as Dennis Nongsiej, Ekrose Rani, Charles Lyngkhoi and Columbus Hoojon were killed and 12 villagers injured when Assam police fired at them.
The report of the Judicial Inquiry Commission had indicted the Assam police personnel for the firing incident.
The Justice (Retd) PC Phukan Inquiry Commission in its report had held Platoon Commander of Assam Police, Prem Singh Limbu responsible “for ordering excessive and unjustified firing without a warning which resulted in the violent incident”.
Limbu was a Sub-Inspector from the Armed Branch of Assam Police and the Platoon Commander of No.26 Platoon of 4th Assam Police Battalion.
“In obedience to his order, 17 Assam Police Battalion personnel opened fire as they were duty bound to do so since they were trained to obey without question”, the inquiry report had said.
According to the report, “All of them (the police personnel) deposed before the Commission. With one voice and with complete unanimity they said that it was their Platoon Commander, who ordered them to open fire, and that before ordering effective fire, he did not warn the mob that the police personnel would open effective fire at them,”
After getting order from the Platoon Commander, the police personnel fired as many as 188 rounds for at least 10 minutes.
According to the Commission, “firing at such scale and for such duration was excessive and unjustified in the prevailing circumstances,”
The probe report was submitted to the Assam Government in April 2012.
Recently, the Division Bench of High Court of Meghalaya had directed Assam Government to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the four widows of Langpih villagers who were killed in the firing incident.