Coal attack victims feel they need compensation for what has happened: Ampareen
East Shillong NPP candidate says she will follow up with the case
Shillong, Feb 17: Ampareen Lyngdoh, who is the NPP’s candidate for East Shillong, said on Friday that she would follow up with the case of the attack on activists Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma.
Lyngdoh was one of the speakers at a programme, DD Dialogue, organised by Doordarshan Shillong in the city on Friday. When asked about justice for the activists, Lyngdoh said, “They continue to ask for more compensation.”
When asked to explain what she meant by the statement, the NPP candidate said, “They feel that justice is not been really given to them… they feel that government needs to compensate for everything that happened in those years. They feel that they should be given cash compensation so that they can move on with their lives.”
The state government had paid for the medical treatment of the victims. However, no compensation on humanitarian grounds has been provided.
Lyngdoh, who is also the chairperson of the Assembly’s Committee on Women’s Empowerment, had sought Rs 5-lakh compensation for each victim immediately after the incident. The recommendation was made to the East Jaintia Hills SP and the deputy commissioner who were summoned by the committee. She was with the Congress then.
In November 2018, the two activists went to East Jaintia Hills to investigate illegal coal mining and transportation. It was then that the duo was attacked by a mob. The near-fatal attack left a debilitating impact on their health. Sangma told Meghalaya Monitor that while the government paid for their initial treatment, there was no compensation or reimbursement for the prolonged treatment.
“I still get excruciating pain in my body and have to go for treatment. Who will pay for that? I am a single mother of seven. How can I sustain myself like this? The government has to pay compensation for the violation of human rights,” Sangma said.
On Friday, the NPP candidate said she had met the victims and that she condemns the incident. “It should not have happened. We will pursue the case,” she added.
None has been convicted in the case so far. Nidamon Chullet, the then NPP’s East Jaintia Hills president and a prime accused in the attack case, was arrested but never convicted. He was convicted for a separate murder case. When asked about this, Lyngdoh said, “I do not want to comment on this as I am not aware of the nitty-gritty of the case. However, I still condemn it and it should not have happened.”
