Shillong, Oct 5: MLA of North Shillong Constituency, Adelbert Nongrum has asked the Meghalaya government to order an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the police raid in Jaïaw, Shillong on the night of August 19 using stun grenade and tear gas.
Nongrum today submitted a detailed memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home, Prestone Tynsong seeking free and fair enquiry by the CBI into the incident.
According to Nongrum, a ground report by Seng Samla Jaïaw Pyllun (SSJP) revealed that around 15 rounds of tear gas canisters were fired indiscriminately by police in a congested residential pocket close to H Gordon Roberts Hospital, endangering patients and causing panic and breathing problems to sleeping residents.
“Heavily armed policemen entered our neighbourhood at midnight, completely masked, lacking visible nameplates, and refusing to produce any statutory search orders,” Nongrum said.
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He also said that local residents were “left shocked and deeply traumatised”. He further claimed to have videographic proof of police personnel misbehaving with local youth and using obscene gestures and extreme profanities at the functionaries of Seng Samla Jaïaw Pyllun.
The North Shillong MLA also cited Sections 55, 108 and 109 of the Meghalaya Police Act, 2010 relating to public decorum and disclosure, unlawful midnight entry and violence which according to him are punishable by upto six-month imprisonment, besides violation of the Supreme Court’s D K Basu guidelines.
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Stating that a routine internal departmental enquiry or a standard police SIT probe “is completely insufficient when the integrity of the law enforcement machinery itself is the subject of dispute”, Nongrum said he would be compelled to approach higher statutory authorities if the Meghalaya government failed to order a CBI probe into the incident and punish the errant police personnel.
