SHILLONG: In a violent incident at least five youths, who were playing basketball, were assaulted on Friday at Lawsohtun area here by a group of masked miscreants in what is suspected to be a hatecrime. According to reports, the miscreants numbering about 20 first locked the caged arena of the basketball court located at Block VI and then launched an unprovoked attack on the nine young players with rods, sticks and bamboos. Police said the boys took to playing basketball in the court during the lockdown period and had been going to the ground for the last two weeks. In an FIR, the parents of the victims alleged that the assault was unprovoked and brutal.
The miscreants could not be identified as they were wearing masks. They stated that their sons had been playing in the same court yard for the past few weeks in a “cordial and humble manner”. A police statement said those injured were Arindam Das (22) of Laban, Subharshi Das Purkayastha (22) and Saptarshi (20), both residents of Last Stop, Pinak Deb (23) resident of Mawbah and Bishal Ghosh (24) resident of Lachumiere.
The injured were taken to Woodland Hospital. They have been discharged after treatment. Some of them sustained fractures of the limbs, while others suffered head injuries. Although the police claimed that five persons were injured, the parents said the list also included Prittish Deb (28). Meanwhile, the headman of Lawsohtun, Lurshai Shylla said he was not aware of the incident of the attack as he was caught up in an inspection with some government officials. By the time the local heads visited the site, there was no one to be found on the ground, he said.
