Peace meetings in three different places and appeals for calm from different quarters were issued Saturday to prevent the death of a Garo youth and member of a local civil society organisation in a group assault in Meghalaya Friday from turning into a communal flashpoint.
Dilseng Marak, a resident of Phulbari in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district, succumbed to his injuries after a group from Garo pressure group ACHIK were assaulted during an altercation Friday afternoon at Goalgaon, in the Rajabala area of the district. According to West Garo Hills SP Abraham Sangma, the incident took place when the ACHIK members visited an allegedly illegal stone quarry in the area to “inspect” activities there.
Saying that three people were arrested following the incident, Sangma said: “We registered a suo motu case and we are leaving no stone unturned. We were conducting multiple raids last night and the stone quarry owner is presently absconding, but he will be arrested very soon.”
Rajabala is an area close to the Bangladesh border with a mixed population, and Friday’s incident put it on edge, causing the state government and local administration to swing into action to prevent the situation from spiralling.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, whose constituency South Tura is also located in the West Garo Hills, issued a call for restraint in public responses to the incident.
Calling the incident “tragic and unfortunate,” he said: “We condemn this incident and at the same time express our condolences to the members of the bereaved family… Three people have been arrested and the police are working tirelessly to arrest the rest of the people who were involved in this heinous crime.”
“Today, the deputy commissioner has called different members of civil society to form a peace committee and to ensure that all related matters are discussed in detail. I would like to urge the citizens of Garo Hills that we must ensure that peace and communal harmony continue to be there in Garo Hills. There might be a lot of news circulated on social media. Please filter them carefully,” he said.
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According to West Garo Hills DC Vibhor Aggarwal, such peace committee meetings were held in the Circuit House in district headquarters Tura, as well as in Phulbari and Rajabala. Rajabala MLA Mizanur Rahman Kazi, who is from the Trinamool Congress, also joined the meeting in Rajabala Police Station on Saturday.
“As the elected representative of this area, I express my deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family in this hour of grief. I am in constant touch with the District Administration and the Hon’ble Chief Minister. Together, we are committed to ensuring that the culprits are brought to justice as per the law at the earliest,” he said.
“Our top priority remains the maintenance of law and order, peace, and brotherhood among all communities. We are taking every possible step to ensure the safety and security of every citizen,” he continued, adding that all shops in the area were closed from Sunday noon “as a mark of respect and solidarity.”
The Garo Students’ Union called for “the harshest punishment under law” for the assailants, calling it a “barbaric crime” and “an open challenge to the rule of law.”
