SHILLONG: Assam police did not follow protocol before arresting five accused in the alleged assault of Assam officials recently who were surveying a road constructed by Meghalaya near Malangkona area in West Khasi Hills.
The incident prompted many border villagers to take shelter at Malangkona fearing arrest by Assam police, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said in the Assembly in reply to a zero hour notice tabled by Independent legislator SK Sunn.
Sunn brought to the notice of the House about the exodus of large number of residents from Assam border.
The case was within the territorial jurisdiction of Meghalaya, Sangma said, adding that the police randomly went to the villages without prior intimation to their counterpart and created mayhem and fear psychosis among people.
He said law and order at Malangkona “is under control and the situation was under close watch”.
Over 100 border residents took shelter in Christ King School after FIRs were lodged against Meghalaya residents for allegedly assaulting Assam officials.
The chief minister said the number of villagers who took shelter in the school was 125 and not 600.
A news portal had reported that 600 villagers fled home in the border area.
Narrating the incident, the chef minister said on September 8, around 4 pm, eight Assam officials in three vehicles visited Hahuapara village for inspecting and measuring the road that was constructed by the Meghalaya government under PMGSY scheme.
On seeing the Assam officials inspecting the road, villagers resisted which was followed by an argument between them.
According to the chief minister, the villagers claimed that the area was under Meghalaya. Subsequently, the Assam officials were compelled to leave the village and returned to Assam without any inspection or measurement of the road. Later, the Assam officials reported the matter to Boko police station and alleged that they were assaulted by the people of Malangkona village while they were on duty at Hahuapara. Accordingly, Boko police station registered a case.
He said at present, Malangkona residents are in a state of fear due to the stand of Assam officials and the state’s police.
He said one section of SF-I0 personnel was deputed to Malangkona and Sildubi and the West Khasi Hills SP visited Malangkona on September 8 and halted the next day to assess the situation.
Prior to the incident, the Home Minister visited Malangkona and assured the public that a new police outpost would be set up in the village.
Boko police arrested five persons from Malangkona namely, Habart Marak of Malang-Khasi village, Wilso Marak, Aila Sangma and Aldrin Marak of Malang Hahuapara village and Dime Marak of Hahuapara village. They were alleged to be involved in the assault. Assam police named five more persons.
On September 9, the officer in-charge of Aradonga outpost received a joint FIR from three residents of Malangkona area mentioning that the previous day, Assam officials physically attacked the villagers of Malangkona and threatened them with dire consequences when the villagers tried to prevent the Assam officials from conducting inspection in Meghalaya area.
A case was registered and one accused person was arrested on the night of September 9.
Commenting on media reports, the chief minister said it was a fact that that residents of Hahuapara, Malangkona and adjoining villages had fled to evade arrest by Assam police.
“However, reportedly only 150 people fled from their villages and not 600 as appeared in the media,” he said.
Out of 150 people, 125 of them who fled their houses from Hahuapara are still taking shelter in Christ King School, Malangkona, whereas 25 are staying in the houses of their relatives at Sildubi and Malangkona despite all efforts being made by the district administration to convince them to return home, he said.
To instill a sense of security among the villagers and to meet any law and order contingency, the district police with all available resources have reinforced manpower in the affected areas and SDPO, Mawshynrut along with SF-10 are camping at Malang Khasi area, he added.
The chief minister said senior officials of the district administration and the district police are frequenting the affected villages regularly to assess law and order and monitor the activities of Assam government at Malangkona and in adjoining villages.
On September 24, the West Khasi Hills SP had written to his counterpart in Kamrup (Rural) with a request to intervene in the matter to bring back normalcy at Malangkona and for the safe return of the displaced villagers.
The measures taken by the district administration to allay fears include posting of relief team led by the EAC Nongstoin along with essential commodities and mobile medical team, the chief minister said.
