TURA: West Garo Hills police are yet to make a breakthrough in the Garobadha robbery case even after 12 days.
A delegation of NPP leaders, led by Dadenggre MLA James K. Sangma, visited the village where three houses were robbed. The village is only 200m from the Garobadha police outpost.
The villagers told the NPP delegation that there was little response from the police. “We are shocked to learn that when the armed criminals attacked the house of Tapan Ghosh, which is about 200m from the Garobadha police station, it took one and a half hours for the police to reach the place,” said Sangma.
The NPP blamed the Mukul Sangma-led Government for the degrading law and order in Garo Hills.
The worst affected in the January 21 robbery was the family of Tapan Ghosh. The dacoits attacked the family members with daggers and swords and grievously injured Ghosh and other members.
The villagers said distress calls were made for an ambulance to take the bleeding persons but it arrived only after two hours. Ghosh is still in ICU.
The Ghosh family that runs a grocery shop in Garobadha market had to spend close to Rs 10 lakh on medical expenses in Guwahati and is in need of financial assistance. It was learnt that the district administration has released Rs 1 lakh for treatment.
“We are deeply disturbed by the frequency of such incidents in areas close to the Assam border and we condemn such acts of lawlessness,” said the NPP leader, adding that the Government has failed to provide security to the citizens. Sangma also demanded Rs 3 lakh compensation for the Ghosh family.
The NPP delegation also demanded that the Garobadha police station be upgraded from an investigation centre to a full-fledged thana with adequate personnel.
“This should have been done a long time ago keeping in mind the growth of the town and its close proximity to neighbouring Assam,” said Sangma.
The State power board and the MeECL have also come in the opposition firing line for its load shedding timings, which allegedly became a key factor in the attack. The attack took place shortly after midnight when the entire area was in darkness.
“Incidents of kidnappings, sexual assault against women and minors in particular, killings and similar crimes are the highest in the history of Meghalaya. The sad part is that the (Congress-led) government is neither taking moral responsibility for its failure nor acting on it,” said the opposition party.
