PTI
SHILLONG, MARCH 20
Opposition legislator James K Sangma today demanded institution of a judicial inquiry to probe the recent killing of a son of a tribal chief in Orgagitok Rimba Adinggre village in West Garo Hills district in an alleged fake encounter with the police.
"I request that a judicial inquiry be instituted into the incident," National Peoples Party legislator from Dadenggre James K Sangma told Assembly here while moving a call attention motion in which an NGO had demanded the arrest of 'killer cops' involved in the incident.
"I had interacted with the villagers and the incident turn out to be very disturbing as this encounter was a fake one as alleged by the CSWO," he said.On March 4, one Sengbat Ch Marak was shot dead in an encounter with the police in Oragitok, Rimba Adinggre, a village which falls under the legislator’s constituency.
According to Sangma, the police did not follow the of operations (SOP) in the operations which resulted in Sengbat getting fatally shot.
Ruling out institution of judicial inquiry at the moment in view of the magisterial inquiry which was given 30 days’ time to submit its report, Home Minister Roshan Warjri said the police acted on intelligence inputs.
A series of incidents of abductions, killings, extortions, movements and sheltering of militant had been taking place at Oragitok and Romba A'dinggre villages in the MWest Garo Hills District in the past one year, she said, adding that 'intelligence inputs' had confirmed that the GNLA was using the area as 'safe haven'. According to the Home Minister, inputs received on March 3 indicated that GNLA commander Baichung Momin and his deputy Jarek Momin besides a cadre Kailos Ch Marak, were taking shelter at Oragitok village since February 28, aided by one Panseng M Sangma, an over ground worker of GNLA and a resident of Oragitok.
Based on another input received, the police team from the West Garo Hills District carried out an operation in the early morning the following day at around 3.30 am in the village.
During the operations, police cordoned off a suspected house located near Romba A’dinggre LP School and asked the occupants of the house to come out and surrender, she said.
Subsequently, a person who identified himself as Samson A Sangma came out from the adjacent hut and tried to open the suspect’s house.
Suddenly, three persons, who were inside the house, broke open the door, started firing and ran towards a nearby stream forcing the police to retaliate in self-defence, she said.
One of them was injured and fell down and other two escaped, Warjri said.
"Injured person tried to run but collapsed a few meters away from the stream and succumbed to his injuries. He was later identified as (L) Sengbat Ch Marak," she said.
