UDP lambasts gov

SHILLONG, MAR 16: The United Democratic Party (UDP) today lambasted the Meghalaya government for its failure to take action against repeated attacks along the national highway in Ri Bhoi district bordering with Assam.

The issue was raised following the recent attack on a weighbridge and office of Sale Tax and DMR at Byrnihat in Ri Bhoi District by a mob allegedly from neighbouring Assam.

“I am deeply worried that Meghalaya is being perceived as a “soft state” due to inaction on the part of the state government to ensure that there is no repeat of such incidents,” UDP legislator from Shillong West Paul Lyngdoh said while moving a call attention in the Assembly.

Stating that the Byrnihat mob attack was not an isolated incident, he said that this was the third incident in the past four years along the national highway adding “Such incidents repeated themselves and are carried out without impunity.”

Paul also further recalled that in the 1990s even the convoy of the former chief minister DD Lapang was attacked while seeking to know the status of this case.

“Luckily he (Lapang) could escape after few persons escorted him through the jungle,” he added.

According to him, these strings of attacks have become as an accepted fact that none of the cases were solved so far.

“The home minister just the other day claimed that the morale of the police is very high but what will happen when the morale of the police goes low,” he said while castigating the police for being successful only in arresting petty thieves.

When the home minister HDR Lyngdoh in his reply informed that the deputy commissioner has been requested to locate a suitable alternate site for the check gate and weighbridge, Paul reacted, “This is like rather sending a signal of surrendering.”

Stating that if necessities arise, the state police even go to Bangladesh to arrest criminals, Paul said, “Again, if an MLA is also being arrested from Assam then why not in this case as well.”

To this, the home minister informed that certain persons have been identified with the help of the CCTV footage and police are making efforts to arrest those involved in the attack.

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