Dying declaration only lead in East Jaintia Hills explosion case: Meghalaya Police

Shillong, Jan 9: Meghalaya Police have submitted a report to the BP Katakey Committee regarding the death of two persons, allegedly in an explosion, with the only lead in the investigation being the “dying declaration” of one of the victims.

According to East Jaintia Hills SP Vikash Kumar, the police have submitted their report, but it could not be established how or where the victim died. A case has been registered in connection with the incident.

Police said they have so far confirmed the death of one person through a viral video. It has been reported that Ashok Tamang, one of the victims, died at the Shillong Civil Hospital on January 1. The identity of the other victim is still unknown.

The incident reportedly occurred on December 23 at Thangsko village in East Jaintia Hills district, where the victims allegedly died in an explosion, possibly linked to illegal coal mining. Several others reportedly sustained burn injuries.

Kumar said the police carried out a preliminary investigation before submitting the report, but the place of occurrence and the manner in which the incident took place could not be established.

He said the only available evidence is a viral video circulating on the social media in which one of the victims, Ashok Tamang, stated that an explosion caused his injuries. This statement is being treated by the police as a dying declaration.

“The investigation is on to establish the facts and circumstances under which the explosion may have occurred. At present, the only basis for the claim of an explosion is the dying declaration. We need to build on that to establish where the incident happened and how,” Kumar said.

He reiterated that the police have not been able to establish the occurrence of any blast on the ground so far, and that the viral videos circulating in the social media are the sole clue in the case.

By

Staff Correspondent