Killing of AMEF militants at Petchong Jongki
SHILLONG/TURA: A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the killing of two villagers Selba Sangma and Jekke Arengh, suspected to be AMEF militants, in an operation jointly carried out by Army’s 19 Dogra Regiment based at Damra in Goalpara, Assam and the North Garo Hills police at Petchong Jongki under Kharkutta Community and Rural Development Block on March 18.
North Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, W Khyllep, on Saturday ordered the magisterial inquiry into the killing.
Kyllep said that the probe will be conducted by L Ch Marak, Additional District Magistrate , Resubelpara. He has been 30 days time to submit his report.
Recently, several pressure groups including Achik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum, All Kharkutta VEC Association and the Apex Committee of the Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE) condemned the killing of villagers by security forces in the alleged fake encounter.
“The deceased who were said to be AMEF militants did not have any link with any militant group. ADE strongly condemns such killing of innocent people by army personnel and demand full judicial inquiry into the matter,” it said in a statement.
It also appealed to the state machinery and the concerned authorities to look into the issue very sensitively and to give compensation to the victims’ family.
The functionaries of Achik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum visited the village and met the family members and several villagers.
According to Achik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum, two persons identified as Dilnath Momin and Robin Momin, who were arrested and subsequently released by the security forces, said that they were eye witnesses to the planting of the guns by the army. The pistols were placed later beside the bodies of the slain persons to make it feel like that the two killed were in fact militants, the Forum quoted the two villagers as saying.
