From Our Correspondent
NONGSTOIN: The Judicial Inquiry Commission headed by (retired) Justice PC Phukan, which is probing the 2010 Langpih firing incident, visited Langpih on Saturday.
During the visit, the Commission conducted a spot inspection at the site of the firing incident at Langpih Assam battalion camp and the spot where the four Khasi villagers were shot dead, 200 metres from the battalion camp.
Justice Phukan was accompanied by Secretary of the Commission AK Bhuyan, ACS, Jyoti Roy, Advocate, Government of Assam, KS Kynjing, General Advocate, Government of Meghalaya, ND Shullai, Government of Meghalaya Advocate, Dr Fennela Lyngdoh Nonglait, Advocate representing the families of the victims, SP, Kamrup, SP West Khasi Hills, Deputy Commissioner of West Khasi Hills S Kharlyngdoh, local legislator Hoping Stone Lyngdoh, MDC of Jaiaw, Adelbert Nongrum and local MDC, KP Pangniang.
During the spot inspection, the Commission found that the statements filed by the Assam Police that thousands of Khasi people had gheraoed and attacked the Assam BOP battalion camp is not true because the usual numbers of people attending the weekly market every Friday are four to five hundred only.
Moreover, the distance from the BOP camp to the spot where the dead and the injured person were found after the firing incident is around 200 to 300 metres.
Also no injured or dead were found inside the BOP camp, as was alleged by the Assam policemen.
The Commission will submit the findings of the spot inquiry along with the final report of the inquiry after completing the final hearing in the first week of January next.
So far, the Commission has examined 122 people including officials from both Meghalaya and Assam with regards to the incident.
The Inquiry Commission, set up in September 2010 by the Assam Government, has so far held 37 hearings including eight days of hearing in Shillong.
