TURA: The driver of an auto-rickshaw was shot dead in broad daylight on Sunday morning after he expressed reluctance to ferry two suspected Garo militants in his vehicle in Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma’s home constituency of Ampati region in South West Garo Hills District.
The 26-year-old victim, Surendar Paul, a resident of Palpara village of Mahendraganj, earned his living by driving his auto-rickshaw in Ampati. He was taken on hire by some villagers from Ampati market towards Chepagre village on the road to Salmanpara at around 9:30 am. After dropping his passengers off at Chepagre, 7 km from Ampati, two youth signalled his auto-rickshaw to stop on the outskirts of the village.
They asked him to give them a lift in his auto-rickshaw which he refused since he was low on fuel and needed to get back to Ampati.
Angered at his reluctance, one of the men whipped out a pistol and shot him in the back from close range.
Despite a bullet wound and bleeding profusely he managed to drive away in his vehicle towards Ampati. Just outside the town he collapsed at the wheel and was spotted by a police patrol vehicle that took him to Ampati hospital where he narrated his story.
Given the seriousness of his wound he was taken in a government ambulance to Tura for surgery but died on arrival in the afternoon.
The brazen killings engulfing Garo Hills continues unabated with many similar stories being reported in the last couple of months as law and order situation takes a dip.
On the night of December 11, 2013, a couple was travelling on the Rongjeng-Williamnagar road when a similar incident took place.
Dominic Marak was travelling with his wife in their personal four-wheeler when two youth on a motorcycle tried to overtake them on a narrow stretch. By the time he gave them way the two men had signaled him to halt. They pulled him out of the vehicle and opened fire from a pistol in close range killing him on the spot.
The attackers fled after committing the crime and left the wife crying out for help with the body of her dead husband in her arms.
Militant succumbs to injury
A suspected GNLA militant who was assaulted by the people in South Garo Hills has succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
Two GNLA militant along with another cadre were beaten up by villagers on Saturday at Jaksongram, near Baghmara in South Garo Hills, while they were extorting money from the villagers.
According to reports, while the militant identified as Nikho Marak died in the hospital, his associate who was seriously injured, is undergoing treatment.