Burning of crop in Nongtrai village
SHILLONG: East Khasi Hills Police is ascertaining whether unidentified miscreants who allegedly burnt down standing crops in Nongtrai area of the district were Bangladeshis or not.
Speaking to media persons here on Friday, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police M. Kharkrang said the district police have already written to the Commandant of the Border Security Force (BSF) to take preventive measures so that such incidents do not recur.
According to Kharkrang, the police were investigating to ascertain whether the deeds were perpetrated by Bangladeshi miscreants as claimed by the villagers.
Surprisingly, the BSF on Friday refuted the incident and asserted that local villagers had themselves set the area on fire for Jhum cultivation but the fire later spread uncontrollably.
“It is learnt that some local miscreants are also involved in this act,” BSF said in a statement while adding that a similar incident had happened on March 1 when villagers of Patharghat had started a fire in the forest area which spread up to the Border Outpost of Patharghat.
The fire was later doused by the BSF personnel with the help of the villagers. “Due to this fire telephone cables laid in the area were burnt. BSF has been sensitizing the villagers to refrain from such activities which lead to the damage of government as well as the property of the villagers,” the BSF said.
The BSF also claimed that the complaint of headman of Nongtrai village B. Lyngdoh was found to be only a wild allegation.
“Considering these past incidents and involvement of B. Lyngdoh, headman of village Nongtrai, this appears to be a concocted story orchestrated by B. Lyngdoh and a few other likeminded elements who are blaming Bangladeshi miscreants in order to claim compensation from the government,” the BSF claimed.
