Another petrol bomb attack reported in city

SHILLONG: A fresh case of arson was reported from Qualapatty in the city on Monday. Police said a group of miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at around 6.15 pm at a tobacco shop, belonging to Santosh Kumar Jalewa at Jeep Stand in Qualapatty. As a result, mattress in the shop was partially damaged. However no injury was reported, police added. The damage was less as shopkeepers acted fast and doused the flames using fire extinguishers. The series of violence and petrol bomb attacks in the city is seen as a direct impact of the Khasi Students’ Union’s protest against the railway project in Ri Bhoi. However, KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar, at a press conference in the city on Monday, said the group was not aware of such incidents. The affected shopkeepers at Jeep Stand did not file an FIR and said they could not see any of the miscreants as the incident happened in a split of a second. It is up to the police to register a suo motu case. So far, six cases of arson have been reported in the city and its outskirts since Saturday evening  The city is not new to cases of arson and every time an issue had spiralled out of control, protesters had used petrol bombs to create terror. In 2013, three persons were burnt alive in the city after miscreants hurled petrol bombs at three shops in Motphran, Bishnupur and Police Bazar during protests over implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP). Violence was reported from three areas in the city on May 28. Around 12.30am on May 28, miscreants set ablaze a tourist vehicle (ML05 L 8790) owned by Daroishisha Wankhar. It was parked at Lum Khyriem. On the same night, miscreants burnt tyres on the road at Pahamsyiem, NH-6 (Ri Bhoi). A petrol bomb was hurled at a truck (AS23 BC 3364) driven by Jagdish Saha. The vehicle was parked at 20th Mile, NH-6. The driver’s cabin was damaged. Soon after the violence in Byrnihat on Saturday, cases of arson were reported from different parts of the city, including Jaiaw and Nongmynsong where one vehicle was torched in each locality. Around 11.45 pm on Saturday, unknown miscreants burnt tyres at Malki Point. There was also an arson case near Pine Mount School and a petrol bomb was hurled in Rynjah police station. The Agriculture Office at 6th Mile was also attacked. “No arrests have been made but we have got few names who are behind the problem and they will be arrested in due course of time,” said East Khasi Hills district SP Davis Marak.