TURA, March 7 - Residents of Resubelpara town in North Garo Hills, angry after policemen shot and injured three daily wage earners, vandalized the police station and a temporary battalion shelter and set ablaze the vehicles there late last evening.
The daily wagers were reportedly returning from Krishnai in Assam in a vehicle through the Khaldang road when they came across the three-layered �naka�. Police claimed that the vehicle was asked to stop twice � at the first and second naka � but they continued to drive on. Their refusal to halt compelled the policemen at the last layer to shoot at them.
The witnesses, on their part, claimed that there was no warning call to stop the vehicle and that the firing was indiscriminate. They added that the vehicle and three people in it, after being hit by bullets, drove the Bolero Camper to the Resubelpara Community Health Centre (CHC). The policemen, the witnesses said, followed and shot at them all the way to the CHC before beating them up in the CHC as well. The policemen stopped beating them only after they were told that the occupants of the vehicle were civilians.
Superintendent of Police of North Garo Hills Dalton P Marak along with DSP reached the CHC immediately.
The doctor attending the injured referred them to Guwahati. The policemen escorted them to Guwahati for treatment.
�We had information about movement of William Sangma (who had earlier evaded arrest by running away in a vehicle which was asked to stop) and had set up the checkpoint close to the Belpara Baptist Church (on Khaldang Road). However, at about 10.30 when we asked the vehicle to stop it refused to do so. Three people were injured during the incident and they have been rushed to Guwahati and are said to be out of danger,� the SP said.
Meanwhile, after the news spread, a mob gathered outside the CHC who soon began to mobilize. The mob then went on a burning spree, which included burning of police vehicles and even private ones, a fire tending vehicle, a temporary battalion quarters as well the Resubelpara Police Station.
�Thankfully, the most important documents are safe or we would have been in very deep trouble. However, property documents and a few documents on rape cases have been charred. This will require a lot of additional work,� said a police source at Resubelpara.
The situation, however, was diffused later this morning though not before residents of the town took out a protest against the excesses of the police while also condemning the Superintendent of Police.
