Shillong, April 3: A police vehicle was torched at Mawlai police station on Wednesday morning.
The incident is after the arrest of two KSU activists in connection with the murder of two persons in Ichamati on March 27.
According to the police, the gypsy was set ablaze by some miscreants around 2 am.
Some individuals came in a scooty and threw a petrol bomb at the vehicle parked on the premises of the Mawlai police station, the police said.
East Khasi Hills SP Rituraj Ravi said on April 3 around 2:40 am, five miscreants entered the parking campus of Mawlai Police station and hurled a petrol bomb on the Police gypsy vehicle bearing registration number ML02-0194 as a result of which the vehicle caught fire and suffered major damage.
In this connection, a case has been registered at Mawlai P.S vide case no. 35(04)2024 u/s120B/307/427/436/34 IPC R/W Sec. 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. The investigation in the case is under progress, the SP added.
Protest at Sohra
In Sohra police station , the KSU, the relatives and the supporters on Wednesday sought clarification on the arrest of the two KSU activists on April 1 night.
The KSU wanted the police not to harass anyone at night and offered their help.
According to the KSU leaders, the police conveyed that the arrest was to get further lead into the Ichamati incident.
Earlier, they took out a protest march to the Sohra police station against the arrest of its two members.
People from different parts of Sohra Subdivision also joined the protest led by KSU central body assistant general secretary Rueben Najiar and president of the South Khasi Hills District Reebok Diengdoh.
Protesters condemned the arrest and demanded the immediate release of the two arrested KSU members – Shanborlang Shati and Mesadapbor Skhembill.
The protest was held amid tight security at the Sohra police station. Following heated arguments, the KSU leaders were invited for talks.
Najiar said the KSU had demanded the police to refrain from arresting its members based on ‘mobile tower location’.
“Though we cannot interfere with the police investigation, police themselves have maintained that they have arrested the two members based on suspicious grounds since their mobile location indicated that they were present in the area during the incident,” he said.
The KSU leader said that the majority of the members’ location will be shown in that area in view of the fact that they were attending the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest organized by the KSU at Ichamati on March 27.
“We were present there (Ichamati) because of the anti-CAA meeting so naturally the tower location will indicate the same. Therefore, if police don’t have strong evidence, they should refrain from arresting our members based on a ‘tower location’. Police told us that they are waiting for orders on the matter,” he said.
According to the KSU leaders, after protesting by burning the CAA rules, the members immediately dispersed and left the place. “We absolutely have no idea about the murder incident and the allegation made is an attempt to tarnish the image of the KSU by vested interest as they know we are here to protect and safeguard the jaidbynriew,” he said.
Protesting against arrests made during night, Najiar said, “We have made it very clear to the police that if they want to talk to our members, call us, we are ready to come and meet them since we are not involved and we have no reasons to be afraid of anything.”
“We are absolutely not terrorists; we are not militants that we go underground. We have nowhere to hide as we are student activists,” he said and warned that the KSU will be compelled to take stern action if police fail to heed the demand.
Najiar also criticised the police for being quick in disclosing the identity of the two members without proving their involvement in the case.
“Police were so quick in releasing their names and address but when a KSU member (L) Lurshai Hynniewta was killed at Ichamati in 2020, police were hiding and protecting the names of the arrested accused involved in the case,” he said.
The KSU leader wanted to know as to who will take responsibility to undo the damage if tomorrow it is proven that the two members are not involved in the incident.
“This is an attempt to tarnish our name and mind you by doing this we are also putting our people residing in the different parts of the country in trouble as this may lead to communal differences between us,” he said.
The KSU leaders also protested against the rude behaviour of a senior police officer during the meeting.
