SHILLONG, June 10 � The ghost of the September 2005 killing in Garo Hills came to haunt the Congress-led Government with the Opposition demanding why no action has been taken against officials so far responsible for opening fire on demonstrators.
The Opposition member from the Garo National Council (GNC), Clifford Marak moving a motion in the Assembly demanded action against �officials held responsible� by the DN Chaudhury commission report for the killing at Tura in which four persons died in police firing and several more were injured. On the same day, in a spate incident police opened fire on demonstrators killing five more people and injuring several others.
Marak said that the then Deputy Commissioner LR Marak who was held responsible by the commission instead of being punished has been promoted and now holds a post retirement post in the Meghalaya Government.
�The Meghalaya Government is following the Akhilesh Government (UP government) policy of not taking action against officials�.serious action must be taken against the guilty officials,� Marak demanded.
Supporting the motion, John Leslee K Sangma and Independent legislator from South Tura seat, said that the government can train guns on innocent school children, but says it has no firepower to match the militants.
�Soldiers armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire on the crowd. There was no water cannon used and no lathi-charge employed and many of the victims fell face down. There was a terrible violation of human rights and action must be taken,� Sangma said.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that the government after the findings of the inquiry commission �initiated departmental proceedings� against the officers who were responsible for the incident. The departmental proceedings was headed by a �senior government official,� however, the proceedings found no official guilty of the incident.
�It is the time to heal, instead of digging up the past,� the Chief Minister said adding that the inquiry of the twin custodial death (in the past month) would be fair without any government interference.
