Govt to decide on independent probe after police submit report on mob attack incident: Meghalaya CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 28, 2023

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday said the government will take a call on whether to set up an independent probe into the July 24-mob attack at the CMO, Tura after getting a report from the state police.

“We will wait for the initial reports that will come from the police department and only then will we be able to decide on how to move forward,” Sangma told reporters when responding to a query on the TMC’s demand for an independent probe into the incident.

“Yes, if it is necessary as if you look at the whole situation – if the NGOs were saying that these were not their people then who are these people – so obviously there has to be some kind of a system to find out who these people are and what are their intentions. Therefore, yes, initially prima facie it looks like a very kind of a very complicated situation which may require further investigation. But at this point in time I would say let the police do its job and we will see how we will move forward,” he added.  

Sangma also informed that he would wait for security clearance before calling the protesting groups for discussion on the issues relating to their demand for winter capital and backlog policy, since the issue has completely taken a different turn after the incident.  

Further, the chief minister has maintained that the arrest against more than 40 persons was done purely based on evidence through video footage of the mob attack incident and not based on political affiliation.

“I want to make it very clear, we are not going by political parties or we are not even trying to say that this is the political party or that political party. All we are saying that everything will be based on evidence,” he said while adding “No matter what party an individual may belong to, no matter what organization they may belong to or whatever background the person maybe from if the person based on prove and evidence was involved in instigating and was involved in any way in the incident that time, action will be taken against those individuals. So it is not political or party but it is purely on the basis of evidence.”

Strongly condemning the incident, Sangma said that the state had witnessed so many people staging peaceful dharnas or fasting but never have they gone ahead attacking CMO, government officials and police. “This kind of culture is not there and therefore it is a serious matter from that angel,” he added. He also felt sorry for the police personnel, who were injured while trying to protect the CM and everybody in the CMO, Tura from the unruly mob, who were pelting stones at them.

On police intelligence indicating that the mob attack was pre-planned and a conspiracy to murder him, the chief minister however said, “That of course only DGP can tell you and only the enquiry that is going to come in will then finally give the clear picture of what it was.”

He also stated that the incident was unprecedented in one way and said, “When the CM is going with the intention to really solve the problems, we are going with the intention of doing good to the people and all the different development works that we are doing. There could be people who hate us but obviously this kind of action cannot be justified in any way and it is wrong for anybody to think that they can take the law in their hands in this manner and get away with it.”

On the TMC’s demanding immediate suspension of the DGP and SP, West Garo Hills for endangering the life of the CM and others, Sangma however said, “Let me be very clear it was the police who defended me not harming me. They were right in the front protecting me and people inside including the NGOs and the people who were trying to harm are the people outside. The police were doing their duty and they are doing it very well. They swiftly acted, they put themselves in front and they got injured. So I think it is completely incorrect, especially coming from a former chief minister who should understand the role and responsibility of the police, who are sacrificing and endangering their lives, I think condemning them is not the right thing to do and it is not fair at all.”

Further, the chief minister said, “I don’t think it is entirely fair to conclude and say intelligence failure took place. Yes, there were some lapses as it was a complicated situation, intelligence did come in, I was told not to go there but this was after I made a commitment that I will go there and hence, if I backtrack on my statement and not gone there then it would again construed in a different manner. Hence, it is important to meet the people and go there in spite of police and security agencies requesting me not to go.”

Meanwhile, Sangma also informed that he had a talk with the DGP with regards to the security assessment.  

“I had met him (DGP in Tura). They (police) had mentioned it (security assessment) to me but I have not gone into details of that. As I said, that is a procedure that follows in its own independent manner and there is a security level where the government and the department they sit and assess the security of different individuals, that will follow and that is not for me to comment,” he stated.