It is ironical that on the day the Government (Centre & State) inked the Memorandum of Settlement with the ANVC, two persons at Wapung Skur, East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya were killed through shots fired by police personnel and that till today, 25/09/2014, 11 AM this morning, the bodies were lying unattended as curfew has been clamped on the whole District. My personal condolence to the near and near ones whose loss cannot be brought back to life.
Now the Meghalaya Police have denied resorting to firing and put the blame on the BSF personnel travelling in a BSF Bus. The issue becomes all the more mysterious.Does Indian law allow BSF to shoot and kill without authorisation by a Magistrate on duty and above and in this case, not even on duty in Meghalaya ? If the BSF had resorted to shoot to kill strategy, then why the East Jaintia Hills District administration apprehend them ? They had a long route to travel all the way down to Malidor for it was a crime committed by men in uniform, particularly, not called to duty by the Meghalaya State Government and Meghalaya is not under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 and also, even if on duty, no Section of the Indian Criminal Procedure Code (Cr. P.C.) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) permits killing even to Mobs.
Isn’t the Police denial, an attempt to weasel their way out from the tensed situation and their explanation that they had left the area, was it not dereliction of duty or were they driven by fear of mob fury and so gave space to the travelling BSf personnel to deal with the given situation. Were the BSF in so much hurry or were they simply exhibiting of their power with the gun and trigger happy.
A magisterial enquiry will not do at all and as it involves the a para-military force, the only way out is to hand over the matter to the CBI and a time frame must be given to the CBI to completes its job.
Responsibility and accountability must be fixed and whoever is running the affairs of the East Jaintia Hills District Administration cannot be let off. There’s plenty to be answered.
Judicial Commission too will not be an answer as the public are still waiting for final reports of Judicial Enquiries, in particular, on the Fullmoon episode of May, 2009.
Charge sheets must be prepared, FIRs filed and warrants issued immediately without respect to rank and position. Would the District Police of East Jaintia Hills begin such if it were really the BSF personnel who took the law into their own hands - judge, jury and executioner and even their own personnel who allegedly, left the hot spot must be summoned for questioning for finding out the truth by a non-partisan party.
Truth must be prevail. Justice dispensed with on time. Peace ensured.
Rev. Dr. P. B. M. Basaiawmoit
on behalf of those whose voices have been silenced and throttled
