Army did not shift firing victims to hospital, says police

SHILLONG: Army authorities have admitted to the Meghlaya police that its personnel had failed to inform the local police immediately of the incident of killing of two persons at Kharkutta on November 25 night , rather they chose to leave the area leaving the victims there.
The police team after reaching the spot shifted the victims to the hospital, according to a statement issued by IGP (law and order) GHP Raju, who is also the Public Relations Officer of Meghalaya police, on Saturday regarding the November 25 incident.
According to the statement,   on November  25 at around 9:30 pm  N. Ray, SI, officer in-charge of Kharkutta outpost   informed  Ramesh Singh, Superintendent of Police, North Garo Hills that at around 8:40 pm he was informed by his driver that he heard a sound of firing from Rajasimla side about 2  kms away from Kharkutta  outpost .
Ray along with available personnel from the outpost immediately rushed towards Rajasimla and on reaching Konchikol, saw one Yamaha RX-100 Motorcycle without number plate lying on the road and a few meters away, two unidentified bodies were found lying near the road .
He immediately sent the bodies to Kharkutta PHC, where the Medical Officer on duty declared the duo as brought dead.
Singh directed Additional SP AT. Sangma, and SI G.M Momin, officer in charge of Mendipathar  to  proceed to Kharkutta for necessary action.
The victims  — Elphius Momin (35, teacher), and his friend  Sweetbirth D. Marak (30) from Rajasimla  were identified by the public of Kharkutta area who started gathering in the Kharkutta outpost in huge numbers.
With the available information, an FIR in Mendipathar police station was registered against unknown persons by police.
It was only the next day (November 26) at 6 am that the army officers came to Kharkutta outpost and submitted a written FIR wherein they mentioned that while pursuing some reliable information about GNLA cadres travelling in a motor cycle, they set up a motor vehicle check post near Rajasimla at around 8.15 pm on November 25, and checked two motor cycles.
During the course of further checking a third motor cycle with two persons, without lights and without number plate arrived at 8.40 pm and when instructed to stop, they tried to accelerate to escape and at the same time there was a blast and flash.
According to the army authorities it appeared to be a gunshot and the army party opened fire on the escaping motorcyclists. As per army authorities the incident happened due to mistaken identity.
The two FIRs submitted by parents and relatives of both the victims and FIR filed by the Army have been incorporated and will become part of the same case.
Raju said that the magisterial inquiry and police investigation are being pursued at higher levels both by the government and the police.