SHILLONG: Opposition Congress has demanded an independent inquiry into the recent turmoil in Mahendraganj where a mob rampaged through Mahendraganj town, spurred by rumours about a man being shot dead. The mob attacked the police station with stones and bricks before police opened blank fire to disperse them.
Talking to media persons here on Tuesday, Congress spokesperson, Zenith Sangmna said that the incident was a complete failure of the law enforcing agency as they have mishandled the entire issue while allowing a small issue to go out of hand
“What is being reported is the version of the police and nothing can be ruled out at this moment,” he said.
Asking the Government to constitute an independent inquiry and book the culprits if there is any foul play into the incident, the Congress leader said that the relief operations for the people with floods have been severely affected by this incident and district administration must take measures to ensure that relief and rescue work is not affected.
He also said that peace should be resorted in the area and if any person had lost his life, the Government must give immediate compensation to the family of the concern persons
A curfew that was imposed by the South West district administration on Monday was relaxed for 10 hours from 8.00 am on Tuesday. However, it has been re-imposed from 6.00 pm until 8.00 AM of Wednesday to prevent vested interests from taking advantage of the volatile situation.
It may be mentioned that a mentally challenged man with a dao who snatched a rifle from a policeman who fell into flood waters and fled despite police reportedly firing in the air to stop him on Sunday night. The incident caused an uproar in the town after rumours began circulating that he had been killed by police.
A mob attacked the police station the next morning compelling police to resort to blank fire and impose curfew. Section 144 CrPC is still in force in the area and movement of people has been restricted particularly in the trouble prone areas
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