Search for missing man, rifle still on
TURA: The volatile situation that prevailed at the beginning of the week in the border town of Mahendraganj in South West Garo Hills district over unverified reports of a civilian death in police firing has turned normal allowing the district administration to withdraw its curfew with effect from Wednesday.
“The situation is back to normal and we have withdrawn the curfew from today,” informed South West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Kumar S while speaking to The Shillong Times on Wednesday.
Curfew alongside Section 144 CrPC was clamped in Mahendraganj on Monday afternoon following a mob attack in the town’s police station in which hundreds of furious protestors pelted stones damaging police property and vehicles and even attempting to set ablaze a fire tender that was providing water to flood-displaced people in relief camps.
Police had to resort to blank firing to disperse the crowd that turned violent after rumours began circulating that a mentally-challenged person had been shot dead by security forces on Sunday night in one of the town’s localities.
Curfew was imposed for two consecutive nights in a row and was lifted only in the morning hours to check troublemakers from taking advantage of the situation.
The deputy commissioner also said that search is still on for the missing man along with the police rifle he snatched and fled with on Sunday night.
The mentally-challenged man had snatched an Insas rifle from a police constable when a team went to the site where he was threatening passerby with a machete. The police team leader reportedly fired in the air to frighten the man to drop the gun but failed as the latter disappeared taking advantage of the dark night.
The Sunday night incident turned into a major law-and-order situation upheaval the next day when the mob laid siege to the police station amid claims the police had shot dead the mentally-challenged man the previous night.
Meanwhile, a large number of the flood-affected people, who were taking shelter in several dozen relief camps across the Mahendraganj and Zikzak region, have returned home following the receding of the flood waters.
Deputy Commissioner Ram Kumar said the last remaining inmates of the camps are expected to leave by Thursday.
