Meghalaya Assembly panel orders Rs 5 lakh compensation each for Agnes, Amita

SHILLONG, Nov 26 - The Meghalaya Assembly�s Committee on Women Empowerment today suggested that the East Jaintia Hills district administration pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma who were attacked by a mob in the district earlier this month.

The recommendation was made to the East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Commissioner who were summoned before the committee here today.

Committee chairperson Ampareen Lyngdoh said the committee wants the district administration to pay the victims within seven days. The committee expressed concern over the slow pace of the probe in which just six persons out of the allegedly 40 attackers have been arrested so far. The committee said an �independent inquiry� needs to be set up to investigate into the incident as the ongoing inquiry headed by an Additional District Magistrate was not enough. The committee will place its preliminary report on the floor of the House tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that all those involved in the attack would not be spared. �The law would take its own course... anyone who crosses the (legal) boundary, appropriate action would be taken,� the Deputy CM said, reacting to the alleged involvement of one of his partymen from East Jaintia Hills, Nidamon Chulet. Sangma, one of the victims, identified Chulet as the �mastermind� who instigated the mob to attack them on November 8 in East Jaintia Hills.

Tynsong, however, said he was not aware of a letter written on November 22 by the victim to the Director General of Police requesting the immediate arrest of Chulet. �I am not aware of the letter, but will find out,� he said when asked.

Chulet is the NPP working president of East Jaintia Hills and also has business interests in coal mining. He is also the president of the Jaintia Hills Truck Owners� Association.

Govt institutes independent inquiry: The State government today decided to institute an independent inquiry to probe into the �genesis� that led to the attack on Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma.

The government took the decision after a Cabinet meeting this evening. Briefing the media, Home Minister James Sangma said the modalities of the independent committee would be framed with the assistance of other departments.

Sangma said the committee would probe from the year when coal mining was banned in the State, which was 2014. �The genesis of the attack has to be probed,� he said.