Chargesheet filed against Deborah Marak

TURA, NOV 3: East Garo hills police filed charge-sheet against Meghalaya social welfare minister Deborah C. Marak onMonday for allegedly using Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to garner votes in the 2013 assembly election, but the minister was quick to deny the allegation promising to fight it out in the court to prove her innocence.

East Garo hills SP Davies Marak said  the police found a conspiracy hatched by Deborah and Tennydard Marak and GNLA to intimating the voters during the last .

Interestingly, Tennydard Marak has filed a PIL against chief minister Mukul Sangma in Supreme Court on his tribal status.

Independent candidate Jonathone N. Sangma had lodged an FIR with Williamnagar police station in East Garo hills against Deborah Marak in February last year alleging that Marak had used GNLA for intimidating and threatening voters in the last assembly election. He had also alleged that Deborah Marak had an understanding with the outfit to help her win the election.

There were posters and banners, which stated that anyone voting for Jonathone Sangma will have to face the bullet.

The case was registered under section 171 F and 506 IPC. After investigation, the police have added section 120 B for criminal conspiracy against Deborah Marak and Tennydard Marak.

SP Davies Marak said, “We have filed charge-sheet against Deborah Marak and Tennydard Marak on a case filed by Jonathone N. Sangma in February 2013 during assembly election. During the course of investigation, we found that Deborah and Tennydard had instructed GNLA to threaten the voters.”

The SP  said that they have evidence against Deborah, who had allegedly used the GNLA to intimidate electorates to vote for her.

“There are evidences which states that during the last phase of election, Deborah and Tennydard had gone from village to village showing the banners, which had intimidated voters not to support Jonathone”, the SP added.

The SP  claimed that GNLA had also gone from village to village serving the diktat to the voters. “We have evidence that Deborah had asked the outfit to support her win the election. In lieu of which, she had promised to support the GNLA’s demand for Garoland.

The chargesheet has been submitted to the chief judicial magistrate court in Williamnagar. The police have also sought government’s permission to chargesheet GNLA, as it is a proscribed terrorist organization.

“We will file additional chargesheet against GNLA, one we get the prosecution order from the government”, informed the SP.

Reacting to the chargesheet, minister Deborah Marak asserted that she had never used the GNLA to garner votes during the assembly elections. She said, “ Where is the evidence, the Election Commission of India cameramen records every election campaigns let them show me the evidence of using GNLA.”

Saying that she does not know the intention or politics behind the allegations against her, Deborah Marak said, “My lawyer will fight in the court of law to prove my innocence against the canards leveled against me.” – From Our Correspondent