JOWAI/SHILLONG: Two persons, one of them a woman, were detained on Thursday in connection with the November 8 attack on CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing, who is recuperating at NEIGRIHMS.
East Jaintia Hills police detained the woman and her driver at Ummulong Police Beat House while she was travelling from Shillong to East Jaintia Hills.
She has been identified as Tourist Siangshai of Wapungskur. “We have not yet arrested her, we had just detained her for interrogation,” East Jaintia Hills police chief S Nongtnger said.
Both the detained persons were brought to Jowai police station and three Gypsy vehicles escorted her to Jowai Civil Hospital for medical checkup.
“We detained her based on information from our sources that she was the one who snatched the car key from Kharshiing’s driver at the time when the incident occurred at Tuber Sohshrieh on November 8. We are interrogating her and we hope we will have more clues and make more arrests,” a police officer from East Jaintia Hills had said earlier in the day.
The SP later informed that Siangshai was released due to lack of evidence.
Speaking to reporters in Shillong on Thursday, Home Minister James Sangma said names of more people directly responsible for the assault will come out as the investigation proceeds.
However, on the detained woman’s role in the assault, the minister said, “I don’t want to go into the details of that. She has been apprehended based on the investigation carried out. The police will be issuing a formal statement regarding that.”
According to Sangma, the police department was able to make arrests within 36 hours of the incident and assured that the government will take swift action against the perpetrators.
When asked if the government would constitute a judicial probe into the incident, Sangma said the assault “is strictly a police case”.
“Investigations are going on and arrests have been made and there have been breakthroughs. As of now, I don’t see any need for judicial probe into the incident,” he said.
On whether a judicial inquiry into the alleged nexus between police and the mining mafia would be initiated, Sangma asserted that the matter was being examined and “an inquiry will be started if the need arises”.
On the demand to include criminal conspiracy and common intention under the IPC section, James refused to comment in terms of the sections to be applied and said police are more than well-equipped to understand what the relevant sections are under which the case needs to be registered.
Kharshiing is stable and out of danger and is doing well off ventilator, a statement from NEIGRIHMS said.
Her companion Amita Sangma, who was also assaulted, is recovering slowly. There is restriction on the number of visitors, the CSWO chief’s brother John Kharshiing said and added that NEIGRIHMS is installing CCTV cameras for security.
Kharshiing had many visitors on Thursday including former chief minister Mukul Sangma and his wife Dikkanchi D Shira, minister Banteidor Lyngdoh and other legislators, traditional heads, BJP leaders and others.
