SHILLONG: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the Congress continued the blame game over the alleged assault of HSPDP supporters in Sohiong, represented by Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh.
The HSPDP candidate from Sohiong, Samlin Malniang, told reporters that the assaulted supporters were coming from a party meeting at Krang and the Congress had a meeting at Weilyngkut. Lyngdoh attended the meeting.
The HSPDP supporters were allegedly assaulted at Dira near Weilyngkut under Sohiong constituency on January 19.
Malniang said the HSPDP supporters came across two vehicles with Lyngdoh’s security guards.
“They were playing the HSPDP theme song and were driving slowly as there were pedestrians on the road. But they were suddenly stopped by them (Lyngdoh’s guards) and then the assault followed,” he added.
The HSPDP supporters later told Malgiang that they did not make any provocative remark.
“They apologised but they (the security guards) said if they tell anybody about the incident, they will kill them,” Malgiang alleged.
Condemning the incident, he termed the action of the security guards of Lyngdoh as “uncivilised” and demanded that the security guards be suspended.
HSPDP president Ardent Basaiawmoit too condemned the incident and rued that none of the accused was arrested so far.
“I will make sure that he (Lyngdoh) holds his post of Home Minister till February 27,” Basaiawmoit said and at the same time questioned whether it is legal to harass anybody.
The HSPDP-UDP alliance held a public meeting at Sohiong on Tuesday where Basaiawmoit said the party would replace Lyngdoh.
Malniang had spoken to the victims of the assault and told them to file an FIR. He informed that the relatives of the victim, Minit Kurbah, have filed an FIR at Sohiong police post.
There were four persons in the vehicle and three were assaulted. Minit received injuries in his gums, ribs and beaten with the butt of a gun.
However, president of Sohiong Block Congress Committee Phrang Kharpran said the security guards informed him that the HSPDP supporters were alleged to be driving in high speed and were drunk.
“The security guards tried to stop the vehicle but the supporters of HSPDP refused. Again, they almost hit some of the children on the road following which they were asked to stop. On getting down from the vehicle, they argued on why they had to be stopped as it was in their own village,” he said.
Kharpran alleged that bottles of alcohol were found in their vehicle. He went on to add that the HSPDP supporters used abusive language that prompted the escort to stop them.
“The security guards did not beat them but it was the public who pushed them and the blame came on the security guards of Lyngdoh,” Kharpran said.
He denied that the security guards assaulted the HSPDP supporters, not even with the butt of the gun. “They were holding the gun so they got the blame but the people who beat them and assaulted the alcoholics were the locals of Weilyngkut,” he added.
The CSWO has also condemned the incident. In a statement to the media on Tuesday, CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing said, “If the youth had done something illegal the security guards should have taken them to the police station and not beat them up. This is a violation of human rights of these villagers by the security guards and the organisation demands action against them.”
“Police’s highhandedness will not be tolerated and immediate action should be taken so that such instances do not occur again and the common man is not made a target and authorities should ensure that Government servants are not taking part in intimidation during elections,” she added.
