TURA: In what can be termed as most brutal a crime on an innocent person, unidentified men lured the younger brother of a policeman to an isolated picnic spot on the outskirts of Tura and murdered him in cold blood on Thursday evening.
The murder of the 26-year-old took place two days after his elder brother, who happens to be a policeman, was named in a press statement by ANVC-B chairman Rimpu N Marak.
The militant chairman had accused the policeman of having a hand in the alleged torture of late Balsan Marak but failed to substantiate his claims with evidence.
The younger brother of the policeman, who eked out a living by driving an auto rickshaw in and around Tura and had never been involved with police activities, was lured away on Thursday afternoon by some individuals who hired his vehicle.
Later, his body was retrieved from near Wa’a Wari in Pelga Falls on Thursday evening. He had a severe head injury and had also been shot at by the assailants.
“It is unfortunate and painful that a young man has lost his life in undesirable circumstances. We are investigating the matter and looking at all angles,” said West Garo Hills police chief Mukesh Kr Singh to media persons.
The grief-stricken family has been at a loss for words since being informed of the killing. A post mortem was conducted on the body before it was handed over to the family.
“He was young, hardworking and ambitious and media should have been responsible enough while carrying out the report. It has led to innumerable loss for the family,” lamented a close family member.
Meanwhile, the Garo Students’ Union which has been spearheading the protest demanding judicial probe into the custodial deaths of Balsan Marak and Withson Sangma, strongly condemned the cold blooded murder of the policeman’s family member.
“We condemn the killing of an innocent person. It will not give justice nor deliver justice for the victims. It becomes a complicated issue and will divert the issue of custodial deaths. We appeal to everyone that innocents must not be targeted and all must restrain themselves from taking the law into their own hands,” informed GSU president Tengsak G Momin.
The FKJGP Garo Hills unit has also condemned the murder and expressed their condolence to the bereaved family.