SHILLONG: Police have asserted that all those involved in the assault of police personnel, who were trying to prevent illegal transportation of coal in East Jaintia Hills, will be arrested.
Police personnel guarding the NGT gate at Tuber Sohshrieh were attacked by a pro-coal mining group on May 1 night for resisting illegal transportation of coal.
“We have identified the attackers and all of them will be arrested”, DGP R Chandranathan said on Saturday.
Police have registered a criminal case and investigation is being supervised by the SP, East Jaintia Hills.
The DGP said three trucks carrying coal illegally had made an attempt to pass through the NGT gate.
According to a suo-motu complaint by the police, the attackers were armed with lathis and other weapons and they took on the policemen guarding the area.
The attackers threatened to kill the police personnel if they did not allow the trucks to pass through the NGT gate. The police were outnumbered by the angry mob who took advantage of the incessant rain at the time. Though the Meghalaya Police website said the trucks carrying coal illegally were taken away to Guwahati, the DGP said the three trucks are still in Meghalaya.
Concerned over the repeated incidents of illegal transportation of coal, the NGT panel on Saturday sought a report from the government on the attack on police personnel.
To a query on deployment of additional forces, the DGP said he had deposed before the NGT committee on Friday and explained the need to get more additional forces.
Earlier in 2015, the Union Home Ministry had allotted security forces to check illegal coal mining and transportation in Jaintia Hills but they were deployed only for three months.
The state government had also written to the Centre for deployment of additional forces.
However, the DGP hoped that with the intervention of the NGT panel, the force requirement will be fulfilled.
