Protesters resort to stone pelting; cops use tear gas
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 4: The police on Monday arrested 10 members of Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) for pelting stones at the officials of district administration and police personnel, and violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.
Three police personnel, including two Deputy Superintendents of Police, sustained minor injuries in the stone-pelting. The police said the protesters also manhandled two district magistrates one of whom was a female.
Police had to resort to tear gas as the protesters turned unruly.
The trouble broke out after HITO president, Donbok Dkhar was summoned by the Sadar police station on Monday for wearing black uniform which is a violation of Section 171 of IPC.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Sylvester Nongtnger said some 40-50 HITO members, led by its president and other leaders including Gary Marboh, Shaniah Nongrum, James L Nongpiur and Wanbun N Dkhar, had assembled at SMB Parking Lot, Opposite SBI Main Branch, GS Road without obtaining permission from the administration.
The magistrate asked them to disperse and let Dkhar proceed to the Sadar Police Station for recording his statement. However, they did not pay heed to it and instead, collectively marched on foot to the police station through Police Bazar, the SP said.
“After the statement was recorded, the crowd was asked to disperse peacefully. However, when the HITO president returned from the Sadar police station, the HITO members, led by Donbok Dkhar, who were gathering outside the main gate of Sadar police station, forcibly attempted to march towards the main secretariat to dump their placards as instructed by the president (Dkhar),” Nongtnger said.
At Kachari Point, the SP told them that they were stopped by the authority as no prior permission was granted to them by the district administration. He told them that the procession was also in violation of the prohibitory orders passed by the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills.
At this, the SP said, the HITO members turned violent and forcibly pushed the officers and men on duty. He said three police personnel were injured after being assaulted by the HITO members. “In order to control the unruly mob, the police used stun grenades and resorted to mild lathicharge. In the process, the pressure group pelted stones at the personnel in which a DSP was injured in the head. The injured persons were shifted to a hospital,” the SP said.
The protestors had allegedly asked the shops along Khyndailad to down their shutters and shouted slogans to condemn the police.
Some people slammed the police for throwing a stun grenade at a tea stall at the MUDA parking lot. The food items inside it spilled on the ground after the police had entered it to nab the protesters.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, on the other hand, warned that protesters should not cross their limits.
The Deputy CM said that law applies to all and it will take its own course of action. “If we protest we should not try to break the law,” Tynsong said.
KSU, HYC allege brute force
The KSU and the HYC condemned the police over the incident.
KSU Mawlai Circle president, Biangbor Paliar said the police action is not acceptable since they are not sparing even women who run tea stalls.
“What was the intention behind throwing the stun grenade when the tea shop owner already closed her shop. The video of this unwarranted act of one of the police personnel in a black uniform can be witnessed by everyone since it has gone viral,” Paliar said.
He alleged it was an attempt to hurt the two women of the tea stall who were not at all connected with the organisation that staged the protest.
He said while the police harass its own people in the heart of Shillong, they run away from the interstate border when they are expected to protect it.
HYC general secretary, Roy Kupar Synrem also questioned the police for lobbing the stun grenade at the tea stall.
“Luckily, the tea stall did not use any LPG cooking gas. Otherwise, there would have been an explosion,” Synrem said.
The HYC demanded strong action against the police personnel and officials who failed to control the situation.
“We would want the government to conduct an inquiry as to why the police personnel had to throw the stun grenade at the tea shop,” Synrem said.