Cabbies storm police station to check identity of accused

SHILLONG, May 20: A crowd of local taxi drivers and members of the East Khasi Hills Local Taxi Welfare Association on Saturday stormed Sadar Police Station to check the identity of the five accused persons arrested in the case of assault on two local taxi drivers in Shillong.
The police had issued a statement about the arrest of five persons and released a picture with the faces of the accused blurred.
Questions were raised about the authenticity of the identity of the accused persons.
In the wake of this, a good many local taxi drivers along with members of a pressure group reached Sadar Police Station to identify the accused.
After exiting the police station premises, the leaders confirmed the arrest of the five persons from Guwahati.
The investigating officer assured that the arrested persons are the real accused, they said.
According to the police, the accused and their families had fled Shillong fearing for their lives.
Some leaders from Harijan Colony also arrived at the police station, but were reportedly disallowed from meeting the arrested individuals.
Gurjit Singh of the Harijan Panchayat Committee meanwhile has denied allegations that the residents took out daggers on Friday, while claiming that stones were pelted in the colony after which residents came out of their homes.
Police have, however, maintained that there was no stone-pelting in the colony.
It may be mentioned that the arrested persons, who were produced in a lower court on Saturday, have been granted five days’ police custody.
Before the leaders were allowed to enter the police station, security personnel were deployed at Sadar Police Station.