Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today assured that any arrest and action taken against those guilty involved in the Tura mob attack will be based on evidence alone.
Sangma refrained from going down a political angle even though apparently official lists of those arrested were circulated to the media the day after the attack listing the suspects’ political affiliations, if any. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been critical of this and has alleged a witch hunt.
The attack led to injuries to several police personnel, damage to vehicles and around 47 arrests including seven women. It followed a meeting between the CM and ACHIK, an organisation leading the call for a retrospective roster system and for a winter capital in Garo Hills.
“I want to make this very clear that anybody who will be arrested will be arrested purely on the basis of evidence,” Sangma said in a briefing to the press today. “What had happened was not correct. I had gone there (for the meeting) with a positive intention … to talk to them and find a way forward.”
Members of ACHIK and other pressure groups maintained that their members were not behind the violence that followed the meeting.
“From all statements, there were external agencies present who were not connected to the group there. Those sloganeering happened to be from political parties. But … everything will be based on evidence. If a person, based on proof, was involved in inciting, action will be taken against the individual.” he added.
The CM said he instructed police to use minimum force to control the crowd. “We had intel that there would be a crowd but it was unexpected that they would go to the extent of attacking the Chief Minister,” he added, while describing it as an “unprecedented” incident.
The mob showed no mercy and even attacked an ambulance that was ferrying injured police personnel for treatment. Ministerial, civilian and police vehicles were damaged, some of them burnt.
When asked about the statement made by TMC leader Dr Mukul Sangma that the police are working on the behest of political leaders, the CM said, “Being a former Chief Minister he should understand the role of the police, the job they are doing, sacrificing their lives and condemning them is not right.”
He also declined to blame the police for failures in intelligence or security, though he did admit that there was a lapse in preparations. The police are expected to reevaluate the CM’s security in light of the attack.
