Time of death varies in hospital reports; Family demands independent probe to unearth truth
SHILLONG: Alleging foul play in the death of Pearlystone Joshua Marbaniang, relatives of the deceased officer in charge of Patharkhmah Outpost have demanded inquiry by an independent agency to unravel the truth behind the incident.
The demand was made in an FIR filed by the family at Nongpoh Police Station on Friday.
“We want an independent inquiry to be conducted either by the Criminal Investigation Department or the Central Bureau of Investigation,” Marbaniang’s widow, Chaleth Pyngrope, stated in the FIR.
Later, she stated that her family placed the demand for an independent inquiry since they were not convinced with police claims that her husband had taken his own life.
“We suspect foul play in the death,” Pyngrope stated, while informing that she would submit a copy of the FIR to the Superintendent of Police of Ri-Bhoi.
Marbaniang was found with gunshot wound on his forehead on the night of Jan 24 hours after he had detained 32 trucks which were carrying coal illegally to Assam via the Mairang-Azara road.
Meanwhile, adding more covers to the mystery, the timing of the death in the two death certificates handed over to the family members from the Nongpoh Civil Hospital and the Guwahati Neurological Research Centre are a mismatch.
While the certificate provided by Nongpoh Civil Hospital states that Marbaniang had expired on January 24 at 8:50 pm the certificate provided by GNRC states that Marbaniang died on January 25 at 3:12 am.