Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui today said that a mob of around 5000 plus villagers from different “unknown” villages had made a hot pursuit on the escaped prisoners, who were killed yesterday.
During a suo moto statement in the Assembly today the Home Minister said that “the mob had converged into a forest area away from Shangpung village in West Jaiñtia Hills district and police who had rushed to the place were vehemently prevented by the unruly mob.”
Four prisoners, including a convict were lynched to death by a mob following their escape from the Jowai district prison and correctional home. One of the UTPs, Ramesh Dkhar had managed to escape the mob fury while another escapee, Rikmenlang Lamare is still at large.
The Home Minister said that the police team tried to negotiate and confront the mob to proceed to the place of occurrence to prevent an attack of the four escapees. “The police team managed to retrieve and remove four unconscious escapees from the place of occurrence to Civil Hospital with the permission from the magistrate on duty. However, on reaching the hospital, it was declared by the medical officer that all four of them have been brought dead,” he told the House.
Rymbui further said the State government has set up two enquiry committees to investigate the Jowai jailbreak and subsequent lynching of four of the fugitives.
He said that the Additional Superintendent of Police, West Jaiñtia hills District would conduct an independent enquiry into the reasons and circumstances leading to the escape of the prisoners.
P K Boro, Additional District Magistrate, West Jaiñtia Hills will conduct a magisterial inquiry into the mob lynching of four prisoners at Shangpung.
Rymbui also said that a criminal case has been registered against five prison staff – Rajesh Swer (head warden), Champmilan Kynjing (warder), Damelahun Sun (temporary warder), Pyndaphor Bamon (warder) and Alexier Latam (temporary warder) in connection with the jailbreak.
Today, Additional District Magistrate, West Jaiñtia Hills P K Boro has issued a notice urging those who are willing to give statement on the mob lynching at Nangrim, Shangpung Khliehmuchut to come forward.
Boro in the notice said that any person, individual, groups, Rangbah Shnong who are voluntarily willing to give statement and adduce evidence with regards to the lynching should appear in person during office hours from today till September 16 in his office chamber at the DC’s office, Jowai to record statement or file written statement and adduce evidence relating to the incident.
During preliminary enquiry, Rymbui said, it is ascertained that all the escaped under trail prisoners and the convict were inside the third periphery of the jail. He said the prison is segregated in to three security perimeters. The first and outer periphery is managed by the 6th MLP Battalion, and second and third periphery is managed by the staff of district prison.
He told the house that the jailbreak took place at around 1:45 pm on September 10 when the warder entered the third periphery gate, where he overpowered by the prisoners there. The prisoners also overpowered the gates man in third as well as second gate, he said.
He said that on reaching the outer periphery (first gate), which is manned by personnel of 6th MLP battalion, the prisoners attacked the guard with a sharp weapon even as the personnel there tried to stop the jailbreak by firing in the air.
In this incident, a total of four prison staff and one police personnel received injuries, Rymbui said, adding, one prison staff and a policeman were hospitalised.
