Alleged assault on ‘innocent civilians’
SHILLONG: South Garo Hills SP Anand Mishra has rubbished allegations of assaulting innocent civilians leveled against him by pressure groups and NGOs in the district.
The SP has been accused of assaulting one Amal Sarkar and Thoney G Momin at Rongana Police Station last month on grounds that the duo was involved in extortion.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Mishra said that he had called Sarkar and Momin for questioning as police had inputs that they were in the knowhow of the kidnapping of the father of a catholic priest who was taken away at gunpoint from his residence at Imbloka village of Rongara.
According to Mishra, police also had inputs that these two people were identifying a trader to be kidnapped by ASAK militants.
The SP also said that Sarkar was illegally collecting between Rs 100- Rs 500 from the shops in Rongara Bazar.
According to Mishra, a part of the money collected from the Bazar went to ASAK militants while the remaining was taken by some other groups.
He also clarified that he never assaulted one Sentush R. Sangma who worked in a teer counter near Simsang bridge junction. He added that there was a quarrel between SOT personnel and Sentush Sangma.
According to SP, he took departmental action against the SOT personnel and a magisterial inquiry was also conducted into the incident, the report of which has been forwarded to commandant of the battalions to which the SOT personnel belong.
The pressure groups had alleged that the SP had on May 23 assaulted Sentush R. Sangma.
On the allegation that the SP does not allow anyone to pass through the Simsang bridge when his wife uses the bridge for evening walk and cycling, the police officer said, “I never blocked the bridge and the allegations were totally false and fabricated,”.
Meanwhile, Mishra alleged that the entire matter is being flared up by one Secondson A Sangma who has political affiliations.
He informed that Secondson Sangma recently called a meeting in one of the schools where he used provocative speeches as a result of which police personnel were forced out of the venue.
“When we did alcohol checking on the person, his reading was 103 mg per 100 Ml but surprisingly the doctor’s report said that he was not drunk,” the SP alleged.
The SP has also written to the DC and DIG of the range complaining that attempts are being made to stop police from doing pro-public works.