SHILLONG, Sep 3: The demand of the civil society to suspend the police officials involved in the alleged encounter killing of former HNLC leader, Cheristerfield Thangkhiew continues to gain momentum while the government has remained non-committal on the matter after instituting a judicial inquiry.
Soon after the encounter on August 13, the confederation of pressure groups under the banner of ‘Ka Sur Ki Nong Mawlai’ (the voice of Mawlai people) asked the government to suspend the police officials who were involved in the encounter even while the government has been harping on the need to wait for the report of the judicial enquiry before taking any action.
Within the government, there is a reticence from the Home Department to offer views on whether the suspension of the police officers that led the team to Cheristerfield Thangkhiew’s house on that fateful day is legally tenable.
The paper sought the views of a senior government legal counsel who said that there are similar demands in other states of the country as well where people are demanding the suspension of police
officials in some encounter cases which they term as fake.
In the context of the encounter which took place in the state, the legal counsel said that if the police officials are suspended before the Judicial Commission submits its report; it would be pre-judging the issue.
The counsel said that the people have assumed that it was a fake encounter when inquiry into the matter has not even started and this is pre-judging the issue.
“Natural justice demands that you should wait for the report and depending on the outcome of the inquiry and the report submitted, action can be taken,” the counsel said.
Another prominent and senior lawyer of the city while sharing his views on the matter said that it is with the discretion of the government.
It may be recalled that former HNLC leader, Cheristerfield Thangkhiew was killed in an alleged encounter at his residence on August 13 following which the demand for suspension of police officials has been gaining momentum.
The judicial inquiry commission has so far not started its inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, the chief minister, on Friday said that the chairman of the committee has informed that he is out of station right now for personal reasons and he would be coming to the state on September 9 after which the inquiry would start in right earnest.
