Riyo Siangshai, a coal mine owner in Moolang village has filed a counter FIR against the farmer, Rideal Dkhar and her family for attacking her sons and demanded for their immediate arrest.
According to the FIR lodged at Ladymbai police outpost, Siangshai said that the farmer and her husband, Lan Gabriel Siangshai, their son, Firstboy Dkhar had attacked her sons when they had gone to the village to video record the site where coal was extracted and mined, to clarify on the allegations levelled against her family.
Dkhar had earlier demanded compensation for the damage to her paddy fields by Riyo due to coal mining. Yesterday she had lodged a FIR after she was attacked by the Siangshai family while she was washing clothes at around 6 am. A night before that, on July 25, Dkhar’s husband, received a threatening phone call from Mikhel Siangshai (Riyo’s son).
Following the FIR, police arrested Riyo’s sons, Michal Siangshai, and Mikhel Siangshai and her husband, Ngait Dkhar for the attack.
However in the counter FIR, Riyo alleged that on July 25 her sons—Michial Siangshai and Suki Siangshai—had gone to the paddy field at around 11 am to video record on how Dkhar and her family had extracted and heaped coal on their own paddy field, but the mobile phone was snatched away and videos deleted by the family. The Dkhar family even accosted her son inside their home and threatened him, Riyo added.
She further stated that the next day, on July 26 her son Jake Siangshai had gone to the paddy field and found that the famer and her husband were loading coal on a truck. When he was recording, the couple snatched away his mobile phone and even tried to kill him, but was saved when Michial and her husband, reached there, Riyo alleged.
It may be mentioned that the farmer had earlier spoken to Highland Post to air her grievances of her paddy field affected by coal mining and wanted Riyo to compensate for the loss of her rice crop.
Riyo on the other hand in a statement rubbished the farmer’s claim and said that ever since the coal mining ban imposed by the NGT, no coal was extracted from her land and that the farmer was mining coal from her own land. She said that the coal dumped there does not belong to her and her accusation was perhaps done at the behest of some vested interest who wants to extort money from her.
East Jaiñtia Hills Additional Superintendent of Police, Banraplang Jyrwa confirmed the receipt of the counter FIR. “The matter is under enquiry and necessary action will be taken after checking the veracity and authentication of allegations,” he said.
