Shillong, Mar 31: The Hynñiewtrep Taxi Drivers and Owners Association. an umbrella of various unions, today demanded that strict action must be taken against the person involved in assaulting a driver on March 27.
Balajied Jyrwa, spokesperson of the association, said that the person should be immediately arrested for breaking the law.
“Police department should take strict legal action so that this can be an example that such incidents don’t occur in the future,” Jyrwa said.
The suspect was named in social media and news reports as the older brother of ex-MDC Bajop Pyngrope, who is a senior figure in the National People’s Party (NPP) youth wing. The suspect had threatened to shoot the driver with a pistol, implying that he was a policeman. However, police swiftly issued a denial that he was in the force.
Jyrwa demanded that the arms licence, if the perpetrator has one, should be revoked and, if he does not possess one, he should be booked for illegal possession of arms.
On the delay to arrest the person involved in assaulting the driver, Jyrwa opined that if he had been an ordinary person action would have been taken against him by now but, being close to people in power means the authorities are reluctant to act.
The members of the taxi association tried to meet the East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police on the matter today afternoon but he was not available. They refused to let the matter go and promised to take their cause to the streets if the suspect is not arrested.
On Sunday, the NPP appeared to put distance between it and the suspect by condemning the assault and requesting police to prosecute him.
