TURA, JUNE 1: The recovery of a trader’s body in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills this afternoon has ignited tension in neighbouring Mankachar in Assam’s Dhubri district. The trader has gunshot wound on his head.
Mankachar is about 50 km from Tura, along Indo-Bangladesh border. Suspected militants had abducted the trader and his 12-year-old grandson yesterday from Ampati in South West Garo Hills.
Meghalaya police found the body from Damalgre village, about 20 km from here. However, the whereabouts of the minor is not known yet. Family sources said the family paid Rs 2 lakh ransom to the abductors, who had promise the trader’s safe release. His abductors had demanded Rs. 2 crore as ransom.
At Mankachar, the joint Assam and Meghalaya police teams had to face the fury of the angry mob. The people pelted stones on the police vehicle, that had gone there to hand over the body to the family this evening.
Police had to resort to blank firing and use rubber bullet to disperse huge angry mob. “The situation is tense in Mankachar.. However,, the crowd has dispersed”, said a police official.
The people in Mankachar are angry as two weeks ago two traders had gone missing, whose whereabouts is still not known. The people say that militants in Garo hills have made situation worse for the neighbouring villages of Assam.
A meeting was held at the Monabari police outpost in the border of Assam-Meghalaya which was attended by the ADGP (Law and Order) YC Modi, deputy commissioner of West Garo Hills Pravin Bakshi, additional deputy commissioner of South West Garo hills PK Boro, West Garo Hills SP Mukesh Singh and South West Garo Hills SP Aditya Goenka.
In the violence, which unfolded after the body of the trader was recovered two government inspection bungalow were also torched in Mankachar and police gypsy damaged.
Assam and Meghalaya police have agreed that the situation was a huge concern though currently it was under control. There was also another agreement that more coordination was required between Assam and Meghalya police departments to ensure control over issues related to militancy and kidnappings.
Meghalaya police has rushed in additional forces to control the situation. “We have assured full cooperation to the Assam police in the matter and agreed that we needed to strengthen the coordination
between the two teams. The kidnapping and murder is definitely the work of a mixed group of criminals. Criminals have no religion and have to be treated as such”, said Aditya Goenka, South West Garo Hills SP.
We would request people from both the states not to give any heed to rumor mongering and create unnecessary tension. They should verify facts before coming to any conclusion”, Goenka added.
On a rumor that another body was found at Damalgre village today and the police team immediately rushed and found nothing, Mukesh Singh said, “We cannot take a chance and have to investigate if there is any probability.”- From Our Correspondent
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