MIPRL leaders failed to reign in crowd, took shelter in MLA hostel: Report

SHILLONG: The leaders of Movement of Indigenous People’s Rights and Livelihood (MIPRL) who had sponsored the agitation against NGT ban on coal mining which resulted in the Mookhep firing incident, preferred to sit in Shillong instead of guiding     the crowd, as per the administrative enquiry headed by senior official DP Wahlang.
“After calling the economic blockade, they all were safely ensconced in the precincts of the MLA hostel in Shillong when the crowd was on a rampage in East Jaintia Hills.”, the inquiry report said.
The probe report into the Mookhep firing incident which took place in September 24, 2014 also blamed MIPRL for damage caused to Government property.
The report stated, “The NGO (MIPRL) responsible for calling the blockade should be made accountable for this and loss should be recovered from them.”
The report said that the leaders (MIPRL) failed to reign in the crowd although the statement made by the leaders instructing the crowd to be peaceful was not followed.
Moreover, it stated that leaders of MIPRL were notified and summoned by the inquiry officer, but they did not turn out for the hearing and statements given by them earlier to the Magistrate were taken cognizance of.
MIPRL had called for an indefinite economic blockade in the whole of East Jaintia Hills from September 23, 2014 in protest against the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on coal extraction, mining and transportation in the state.
However, a pall of gloom descended on September 24 when two lives were lost due to police firing and also resulting in the injury of 8 persons.
Wahlang examines only three witnesses
Though Government had rejected the first magisterial report by Additional District Magistrate S.S. Syiemlieh, Wahlang had mostly depended on Syiemlieh’s report to complete his probe.
In fact, he had examined only three additional witnesses, EAC H. K. Thabah, the SP and ASP Karthikeyan, as well as all the other 21 witnesses summoned had clearly stated that their statements were already taken by the Magistrate ( Syiemlieh) and they did not wish to state anything more in addition to what has been stated.