D.D. Lapang: Adamant

Tura, April 26: Mounting pressure on an adamant Meghalaya government, the Garo Students’ Union (GSU) called a rally in Williamnagar tomorrow to protest the findings of judicial inquiry headed by Justice (retd) D.N. Baruah that probed the police firing in Williamnagar.

The firing had led to the death of five protesters.

The D.D. Lapang-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance is in no mood to buckle under pressure, sources said yesterday.

On that very day, police firing on a crowd that assembled at the Chandmari playground in Tura under West Garo Hills district to protest the government’s move, claimed four lives.

The D.D. Lapang-led coalition government instituted a judicial inquiry headed by Justice (retd) D.N. Chowdhury for the Tura incident.

NCP state general secretary E.K. Sangma, however, told mediapersons in Shillong last Friday that while the Tura report was partially acceptable to the party, the findings of the Williamnagar report were not. “Our demand is that the state government should re-institute the inquiry commission for the Williamnagar incident,” the NCP leader said.

The findings of the two inquiry commissions were tabled in the Assembly by Lapang on April 19.

While Justice (retd) Baruah gave a “clean chit” to the Williamnagar district administration and the police saying, that “the mob attacked police which prompted security personnel to open fire,” the other inquiry panel headed by Justice (retd) Chowdhury squarely blamed the West Garo Hills district administration for the firing. The report categorically said the district administration and police had overstepped their limits by firing on the crowd that was retreating from Chandmari field.

According to Justice (retd) Chowdhury, the security personnel fired from close range when the people were actually moving away from the field. He was of the opinion that use of lethal weapons was done casually and in an indiscriminate fashion.

Justice (retd) Baruah said: “Firing had to be resorted to as lathicharge and teargas failed to control the mob. Had it not been done, there would have been more largescale arson and violence in Williamnagar and the situation would have worsened.” He, therefore, said the question of fixing responsibility did not arise.

The GSU’s east zone unit met Lapang at the Tura circuit house yesterday.

and urged him to order a fresh judicial probe into the police firing at Williamnagar. However, Lapang did not make any commitment. Soon after meeting, members of the GSU and the Federation of Achik Freedom said he that had not given any assurances.