SHILLONG: The PWD(R&B) has informed that in view of the ongoing construction activities of the four-lane road from Jorabat to Barapani on National Highway 40, movement of vehicular traffic on the national highway is most likely to be affected. In a release issued here, the department has advised travellers to take necessary precautions to avoid any inconvenience.

SHILLONG: Following complaints of trafficking of school student from the State to Karnataka, the Social Welfare department has clarified that a fact finding team which visited Mangalore, Karnataka last year found no evidence of the alleged trafficking.

Director of Social Welfare, CC Mishil, in a statement issued on Monday, said that evidence gathered from the places suggest that the students were being sent to Karnataka for educational purpose only. Mishil added that the team had visited Karnataka after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights wanted to know the facts behind the allegations of student trafficking.

SHILLONG: Prem Singh, who took over as the new acting DGP from SB Kakati on Monday, said a new strategy would be chalked out to check the trend of policemen joining militant groups.

“Strict vigilance and supervision will be initiated to check the trend. All the SPs and commandants would be asked to keep vigil and constantly monitor their subordinates to prevent them from deserting of the police,” Singh told reporters after taking over the charge.

The concern over the trend was echoed even by the outgoing DGP, who said, “It is an area of concern for the Police department to see some of its men joining militant outfits.”

“The department has to address this problem by going into the root cause which prompted the policemen to turn into militants,” SB Kakati said.

Besides former DSP Champion R Sangma, who is the present “chairman” of GNLA, a police constable of the MLP 1st Battalion also reportedly joined the militant group recently.

However, Kakati refused to confirm the news as even GNLA “commander-in-chief” Sohan D Shira had denied the missing constable joining the outfit.

Expressing concern over the shortage of manpower in the police especially in its traffic wing, the outgoing DGP lamented that while the number of vehicles is going up every day the number of people manning the traffic remained the same.

He, however, said, “The manpower shortage would end once the four IRBn police battalions sanctioned by the Centre joined the State forces.”

He also attributed the shortage of human resources in the Police department as the State’s failure to control the influx.

On the rise in crime against women, the outgoing DGP advocated for better police investigation and social awareness besides speedy trial of the cases.

When asked about his memorable moments in his long career as the police officer, Kakati said, “It’s good to be back in my birth place and end my career here.”

Earlier, the new acting DGP said Police department would put in place a monitoring mechanism especially in terms of its performance.

“There will be regular crime conferences every quarter of the year to streamline the investigation process,” the DGP said.

Underlining the importance of professionalism among policemen, he said, “It would be our endeavour to see that the police personnel perform in a professional manner.”

On welfare of the police personnel, he said, “We would also take various welfare aspects of the police officer and men. Measures will also be initiated to address the grievances of the policemen.”

SHILLONG: The State Police have launched a massive operation in search of six hardcore HNLC cadres who are believed to be hinding in Mawkyrwat and Ranikor areas in West Khasi Hills district.

The militants were part of a team sent for disrupting the Republic Day functions in villages along the international border with Bangladesh, police said.

Jowai police recently arrested two cadres — Rilang Dohling and Maianbor Tongseng — from Ladthadlaboh and seized two AK-47 rifles from their possession.

Another intention of the HNLC team to cross over from Bangladesh is to restart their extortion activities in coal belt areas of Borsora and Nongjri, police sources added.

JOWAI: A joint team of Assam Police and Khliehriat Police arrested one linkman of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) from Umpleng near the Jaintia Cements factory in Jaintia Hills district on Saturday evening, according to a late report.

Sources said the linkman, one Jiban Wari (32) of Karigoan, Kokrajhar district of Assam was working as a coal labourer in Jaintia Hills and supplying the militant outfit with huge amount of explosive materials including detonators and gelatin sticks.

Assam Police had earlier arrested one Avinash Brakhma, an NDFB cadre, and seized huge amount of explosive from his house. During interrogation, Avinash revealed that Jiban Wari supplied the explosives from a coal mine in Jaintia Hills.

Bari has been taken by the Assam Police team to Bijni Police Station in Kokrajhar interrogation.

Eight B’deshis held: The Infiltration Cell of Khliehriat Police arrested eight Bangladeshi nationals from Byndihati area in Jaintia Hills district on Monday. Three others, however, managed to escape. Sources informed that police first arrested two infiltrators and their interrogation lead to the arrest of six others from a local coal mine.

SHILLONG: In a new twist to the ongoing political rumblings, sources said, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent Pala has projected Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh to replace Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma.

While confirming this, Congress sources said Lyngdoh has been projected by Pala to become the new CLP leader if at all the demand for ouster of Mukul Sangma materialised.

“However, the Pala-led group is yet to have the requisite number,” the sources said.

Observers feel intention of the Union Minister is obvious considering his “aim to become the Chief Minister” after 2013 Assembly elections.

“If Mukul and Lapang were out of power now, Pala would be ahead in the race for the Chief Minister post then,” the sources said.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Rowell Lyngdoh denied being projected to be the new CLP leader.

Political analysts feel he has been projected to emerge as a “comprise leader” in the wake of the demand by dissidents for bringing in Lapang once again to the helm of affairs.

“I am okay with Dr Mukul as the Chief Minister and I have no aspiration at all to be the CLP leader. I am alright with any leader be it Dr Mukul or Mr Lapang,” he asserted.

Lyngdoh also criticised any move to topple the present government saying there is no reason for such demand.

“The need of the hour is to focus on development since things under the leadership of Dr Mukul are moving in right direction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress sources asserted that the demand for change of leadership has gained momentum with the dissident group aggressively

putting pressure on the AICC to remove Mukul Sangma.

SP (Infiltration) LB Rapthap’s answer, ‘yes’, recorded as ‘I don’t know’

SHILLONG: The ongoing judicial inquiry commission into the Shillong jailbreak incident witnessed an unusual situation as a statement – “yes” – recorded on Monday was changed into – “I don’t know” – , on Tuesday.

The members of SCAMoD were surprised to find out the “attempt” to misquote the Superintendent of Police (Infiltration), LB Rapthap and asked the police officer to crosscheck his statements.

Some of the queries which Rapthap had answered in the affirmative were misquoted as “I dont know”. During this whole debate, Rapthap who was the East Khasi Hills SP when the jailbreak took place was called to appear before the commission to verify whether his statement was misquoted.

Rapthap confirmed that his “yes” to all those queries were recorded as “I dont know”. However, who changed the “yes” to “I don’t know” is still a mystery.

In his statement before the inquiry commission on Monday, Rapthap had admitted that the former Acting DGP Anil Pradhan was monitoring the case and not interested in bringing out the truth and in detecting the people who were responsible for the controversial Shillong Jailbreak on May 31 2009.

“The former DGP was attempting to divert the attention of the public from jail breaking and nexus of the criminals with politicians and others,” the SP (Infiltration) said. The government counsel KTS Tulsi had objected to recording the statement made in this connection.

Rapthap also said the jailbreak mastermind Fullmoon Dhar’s girlfriend Ibatiplang Kharkongor had confessed that she had received Rs 3 lakh from the then Rajya Sabha MP, Thomas Nongtdu, which was delivered to Fullmoon Dhar in Shillong Jail.

Nongtdu had claimed in his statement that the money was given to Ibatiplang for treatment of her mother and he was not aware of the money being used for other purposes.

The SP (Infiltration), however, said he came to know about Nongtdu’s arrest on June 3 or 4 while maintaining that he did not pass the order for his arrest.

“DSP (Crime) Vivek Syiem informed me that he got directions from former DGP Anil Pradhan and IGP (SB) SK Jain to arrest Nongtdu in the night,” he said while asserting that as per the procedure, the DSP has to go through the SP in all circumstances.

On June 5 2009, DSP (Crime), Officer-in-Charge and Investigating Officer were called by the DGP as to why Thomas Nongtdu was remanded in 14 days judicial custody and he also asked them to submit a prayer for his discharge.

“Despite the statement of Ibatiplang, the decision for his discharge was not done at my level but was done at the DGP level,” Rapthap said.

When asked about the modus operandi of money being smuggled into the jail, the former East Khasi Hills SP said the money was given near the Jail Road, petrol pump to the warden and sometimes it was kept in the Xerox machine shop outside the jail.

Meanwhile, former Jaintia Hills SP MK Singh was cross-examined by the inquiry commission on Tuesday. Singh would again be cross-examined on Wednesday.

Vayudoot services airlinking Shillong and Calcutta -scheduled to begin from January ll-failed to take-off on the appointed day much to the discomfiture of the ticket-holders.

On January 11 passengers holding tickets for the inaugural flight drove down to Umroi only to return disappointed as no aircraft landed at the airstrip. The same story was repeated on the following day too. A near pandemonium broke out at the Vayudoot’s local agent’s office as irate passengers demanded compensation, The situation was, however, saved after the Agent made arrangement for sending the passengers to Gauhati to catch IA airbus service.

Enquiries with the local Agent (Sheba Travels) yielded no clear explanation for the let-down by the Vayudoot. “We are trying to establish contacts with them”, a spokesman said cryptically.

On January 13, when the 16-seater German aircraft -Dornier-finally landed at Umroi, there was no passenger on board, except some Vayudoot officials. It took off for Gauhati-again without any passenger.

It is learnt that the Vayudoot officials did not come out with any clear explanation for its failure. They merely said that the flights would carry on “from now on” provided weather did not stand in the way.

Vayudoot’s public image is already at its low ebb. Its repeated failures in the region has earned itself a poor image. Many critics consider it as ”Center’s much pampered white baby elephant”. And now with this instance of its lackadaisical performance, the public confidence must have reached its rock bottom.