SHILLONG: Leader of the opposition Mukul Sangma on Thursday condemned the attack on Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma “in the strongest terms possible” and urged the authorities to “waste no time and ensure the arrest of the criminals”.
Praying for the duo’s recovery, Sangma said, “We will follow up this case and leave no stone unturned to ensure these criminals and all those perpetrators of this crime don’t go scot-free.”
Shortly after the attack in East Jaintia Hills, Congress spokesperson HM Shangpliang criticised the NPP-led MDA government saying Sangma had been “repeatedly telling the government that illegal coal mining is going on but the chief minister next day itself gave a clean chit with assertion that there is no illegal mining taking place in the state”.
Sangma had alleged that the new government was facilitating illegal mining.
“But now it’s proved that illegal mining is taking place on a daily basis with several seizure of coal trucks,” Shangpliang told The Shillong Times.
Calling for a thorough investigation into mining and transportation of coal, Shangpliang said, the government “cannot sit idle on the issue and it is time to act because something is going wrong somewhere”.
“The government has to come out clean and substantiate all the happenings,” he added.
Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh also expressed shock at the incident.
“I condemn the brutal assault on the women activists Agnes Kharshiing and Ms Sangma. This attack is inhuman and unacceptable. This barbaric incident has left Meghalaya as a whole stunned. The circumstances under which this public assault occurred require immediate inquiry and demand full uncovering. I wish both the victims a speedy recovery and will join hands with all like-minded individuals in praying for them seeking divine intervention for them, their families and the medical hands attending both the cases,” she said.
