East Khasi Hills police confirmed today that there was no communal angle in the assault of youth in Golf Links, which occurred on Sunday evening.
According to Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtnger, police were informed at 10:45pm on Sunday night that two boys had sustained “grievous injuries” in the Golf Links area. A team from Pasteur beat house was immediately sent to investigate.
Through their investigations, police learned from eyewitnesses that the victims “were part of a group who were playing football in the area at around 5pm.” After their game, they remained in the area and consumed local liquor and then got into an altercation with another group but “eventually compromised and began reveling together.”
However, the noise that they then created appeared to annoy a third party in the vicinity “who then reacted by pelting beer bottles towards the victims’ group.”
The eyewitnesses stated that members of the third party belonged “to a tribal community of Meghalaya”, which they were able to make out due to the language and accent. However, Nongtnger did not elaborate on which tribe they may have belonged to.
The eyewitnesses, who could not identify the assailants, then fled from the area and returned after an interval only to find the victims lying unconscious.
A formal police complaint was made by the father of one of the victims yesterday and a case has been registered.
“It may also be informed that no communal angle to the case of assault has been established in the investigation so far. Both the injured persons are still under treatment and hence have not provided any statement. A sustained effort is being made to identify and arrest the culprits,” Nongtnger stated.
