Deal with probe report on priority basis: Opp

SHILLONG, July 16: The Meghalaya Pradesh Trinamool Congress (MPTC) has demanded of the state government to deal on priority basis the probe report of the one-man commission on the alleged killing of former HNLC leader Cheristerfield Thangkhiew and asked for it to be placed in the public domain.
“Deal with it on a priority basis as this is the demand of the people. Please listen to the people this time as many have already hit the streets and shouted for so many genuine reasons,” said Opposition Chief Whip George B Lyngdoh.
When these appeals are coming from the aggrieved family, Lyngdoh said the government is duty-bound to attend to the grievances of the people.
Referring to the clamour for making the report public at the earliest, he emphasised that it is important to do so since the family has gone through the agony and pain of losing their loved one, especially by means that, people feel, depict the government’s ‘excessiveness’ in utilising its powers.
“Therefore, the government is duty-bound to make the report public so that we will know whom the responsibility is vested upon and action can be taken appropriately as per law,” he added.
The one-man inquiry commission headed by Justice (retd) T Vaiphei, which had investigated the killing of Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, submitted its report to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma almost eight weeks ago but the government has not made the report public yet.
The chief minister had recently said that the judicial inquiry report, which was submitted on May 20, was being examined.
The government is said to be taking time since the report is lengthy.
Even the family of the deceased HNLC leader suspects that the state government is not divulging the findings as it would expose the guilty police personnel.
In the first week of June, the family had written to Home Secretary CVD Diengdoh, through their legal counsel, seeking a copy of the report. A copy of the letter was also submitted to the chief minister.