SHILLONG, NOV 4: A day after the East Garo hills police filed a charge-sheet in the court against Meghalaya social welfare minister Deborah Marak for allegedly using GNLA militants during the last assembly elections, opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and the National People’s Party (NPP) demanded her resignation.
The UDP and NPP has also said that the chief minister Mukul Sangma must immediate take action against her for the alleged nexus with militant outfit even as they insisted for CBI/NIA probe on the issue.
The police charge-sheet alleged that Deborah Marak, who is currently social welfare minister, use the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants to intimidate voters during the assembly elections last year.
However the minister had denied the allegations saying that she would fight it out in the court of law against the police charge-sheet to prove her innocence.
Former chief minister and UDP president Donkupar Roy however wants chief minister Mukul Sangma to take immediate action against the minister if he is serious to prove that his government does not have any nexus with militant outfits.
According to Roy, it is the duty of the chief minister to take action since the version of this alleged nexus has come directly from the state security agency.
Roy, also the opposition leader, said the minister has to step down to allow for free and fair investigation into the matter. He said, “We will discuss this issue in the upcoming Assembly session.”
“After gathering enough evidence to prove that the accused had used underground elements to intimidate voters of independent candidate Jonathon Sangma on the eve of the 2013 state assembly elections, we have filed a chargesheet against Marak under Sections 102(B), 171(F) and 506 of the IPC in the local court” East Garo Hills district SP Davis N R Marak had told reporters.
The SP said the charge-sheet mentioned about Marak and the GNLA which intimidated voters in lieu of which she promised to support the cause of the outfit for creation of a separate Garoland state.
The NPP also has reiterated the need to have an independent probe either by the CBI or National Investigating Agency (NIA) into the alleged politico-militant nexus in Meghalaya.
“If the government is serious on this particular issue, it should allow for CBI or NIA probe into the politico-militant nexus,” NPP state president Dr W Kharlukhi said.
Kharlukhi said the NPP has been demanding for such inquiry by central investative agency because police department is directly an agency working under the state government and the party doubt that they conduct a fair probe on the issue.
Along with Deborah Marak, the police also had filed charge-sheet against Tennydard Marak , who interestingly had filed a petition in the court against chief minister Mukul Sangma’s Schedule Tribe (ST) status.
On this Kharlukhi, however, said, “I somehow smell the rat that the police are going for Tennydard, is it because the person is after the CM ST status or for what reason,” adding “I fail to understand why he (Tennydard) is being hounded by the police in this particular issue.”
Kharlukhi said whether the charge-sheet is part of politics the NPP really doesn’t know. He added, “But yes we sincerely doubt the police role and if the CM is serious about the issue, let him ask for a CBI or NIA, to ensure a free and fair investigation into the matter.”- By Our Reporter
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