Shillong, Apr 16: The Khasi Students’ Union wanted the deputy chief minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong to stop the alleged abuse of power and arbitrary arrest by the Laban police.
In a letter to the deputy chief minister on Tuesday, the union referred to the arrest of two Khasi youths in connection with the scuffle by two groups over delay in returning borrowed money in Laban on April 12.
President of the KSU Laban Circle Reuben Najiar pointed out that though the issue was resolved among themselves and both the parties left to their respective residents, the police went to the residence of one of the non-Khasi boys and asked him to come to the police station and after which forced him to lodge an FIR against the other group. “The boy didn’t want to lodge an FIR as they are friends but the police persuaded the same. Later in the evening, the police called the Khasi boys to come to the Police Station, and upon arrival arrested them and even when the family members and members from the Union repeatedly asked about their arrest, they were declined any answer and were told to inquire from the Superintendent of Police, EKH,” he said.
According to the KSU, the police arrested the two Khasi boys in the case of Laban PS Case No. 21 (04) of 2024 and the sections which were imposed against them for such a petty matter is highly condemnable by the Union which are S. 307 (Attempt to Murder), S.364 (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), S. 325 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and other sections under the Indian Penal Code.
The KSU said the wo Khasi boys were released the following day on April 13 by the court as the allegations made were baseless in nature.
The KSU leader said there was also an instance in Laban where by 2-3 Khasi persons were assaulted by a group of 10-15 non – Khasi people belonging from Muslim communities on April 6 but the police did not initiate any steps as to arrest the culprits even though names and address of the accused were furnished to them.
The KSU also wanted to know why no action was taken by the police officials against the perpetrators who were involved in spreading rumours and fake messages about a person being stabbed in Laban who are spreading communal hate speech and disrupting the peaceful co-existence of a mixed community in Laban “or are the police siding with non-Khasi communities against the Khasi communities because as stated above in the instant case, the arrest of the Khasi boys over such a petty issue clearly indicates the blood lust of the police department for Khasi communities’
