From Our Correspondent
KHARKUTTA, May 5: A pastor from the village of Chilpara, under Wageasi in Kharkutta in the district of North Garo Hills (NGH) was shot at by a group of armed dacoits in the wee hours of Monday.
The incident took place at about 2 am when the victim, Biren Sangma, went to check on his cowshed after hearing some noise.
As he went outside, one of the dacoits fired at him from an automatic pistol, hitting him on the chest. A second shot missed him just as he made a break for his house.
The gang of dacoits then fled from the spot in a vehicle they came in.
Immediately after the incident, the victim’s family informed others, including the local police after which he was immediately taken to Goalpara in Assam for treatment before being rushed to Guwahati as his condition worsened.
His condition is stated to be critical, as per family members.
“We are investigating the cause of the incident though we are yet to ascertain any reason. We believe this to be the handiwork of a gang of dacoits and are trying to find the people behind the shooting,” informed NGH SP, Swapnil Pawar.
One theory that has been doing the rounds is that the shooting could be an attempt at extortion with many recently getting compensation from the land acquisition that is taking place for the upcoming National Highway between Dudhnoi – Darugre and beyond.
Apparently the victim’s son is one of the beneficiaries. The police, while not ruling out the possibility, have kept all their avenues open.