The chairperson of the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC), Retd Justice T Vaiphei, will lead the judicial commission that will investigate the circumstances leading to the killing of former HNLC general secretary Cherishterfield Thangkhiew by police at his home on August 13.
This was informed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today after meeting with traditional leaders and youth groups of Mawlai, which was the centre of disturbances brought about by Thangkhiew’s death.
Being the head of the MHRC and a retired judge will serve “both the purposes, from the human rights aspect and also ensuring that this judicial inquiry is given complete freedom and independence and full power to look into all aspects of this particular case,” the CM said.
One of the demands from various corners since the incident has been the call for the suspension and/or prosecution of the police officers involved in the raid that led to Thangkhiew’s death.
However, Sangma said that any such action by the government will have to wait for the results of the inquiry.
“Only then will it be possible for us to take action in terms of suspension or any other kind of extreme order,” he said.
Sangma also appealed to the public to work together with the government in the larger interest of the citizens of Shillong and the state as a whole.
Meanwhile, the delegation from Mawlai stuck to their demands that the police officers who led the team on August 13 be suspended.
“We categorically told the Chief Minister that we won’t be satisfied until these officers are suspended,” Samuel Biam of the Seng Samla Mawlai Pyllun said, adding that such a move is essential if peace is to prevail in Mawlai.
The government has been given only one week to fulfil this demand.
The delegation also questioned why the state government immediately suspended three police personnel who abandoned their assault rifles and vehicle to a mob when they came under assault in Mawlai on August 15 yet no action has been taken against the officers involved in Thangkhiew’s death.
