Shillong: Shopkeepers and local residents turned up at the popular Police Bazar in the heart of Shillong — despite the presence of heavy security — as curfew restrictions were eased Wednesday, just two days after violence broke out following the killing of a former militant.
Residents who spoke to ThePrint said the violence and subsequent curfew had severely impacted business and hoped that everything would calm down soon.
“We hope everything calms down and the controversy ends. We are all brothers here,” said Akhlaq Siddique, who runs a bag shop in Police Bazar. “We need to be united because only that is our strength. The lockdown already severely impacted our business. The curfew has only compounded the issues of middle-class people like me.”
Added John, who goes by one name and runs a mobile store, “Business is down. Inter-district travel is also shut, so no customers are coming. Humari boni ho jaati hai, bas (we just get token customers).”
The market saw some movement Wednesday as curfew was eased and mobile internet restrictions were lifted. This curfew was imposed Sunday, following arson and stone-pelting on Independence Day in the aftermath of the killing of Cherishterfield Thangkhiew, founder of the outlawed separatist outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), by police.
The issue flared up enough to lead to the resignation of Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui.
Siddique said he doesn’t know much, “but I know some ex-HNLC leader, who had surrendered, was killed in an encounter. I don’t know if it was a fake encounter or not”.
Nearly every other shopkeeper and local resident in the Police Bazar declined to comment on the issue.
Samran Syiem, representative of the people of Mawlai, the area where the militant was killed at his home, alleged it was a “fake encounter”.
A.L. Hek, former health minister and adviser to the CM, said “brutally gunning him down” in front of his wife and children was very inhuman and “unacceptable”. He said the incident paralysed normal life in Meghalaya, and called for action against police.
However, police denied these charges. “We went to pick him (up) but this unfortunate thing happened,” Meghalaya Director General of Police R. Chandranathan told The Indian Express, adding that police fired in “private defence” after Thangkhiew wielded a knife.
Also read: Assam, Meghalaya to set up regional committees to resolve inter-state border disputes
What led to the curfew?
Fifty-six-year-old Thangkhiew was shot dead at his home in Mawlai in the early hours of 13 August, when a police team arrived to apprehend him on the suspicion of his involvement in two IED blasts that took place in July and August.
The HNLC founding general secretary had retired in 2018 citing ill health, but Meghalaya Police believed he had become active again. Police said they had “clear indications” of his involvement in the blasts.
However, Thangkhiew’s family members and Mawlai residents have alleged otherwise.
People flocked the streets of Shillong during his funeral procession on 15 August. The situation deteriorated when some youths forcefully took over a police outpost in Mawlai’s Mawkynroh, and stole a police vehicle and their rifles.
Curfew was put in place the same day and mobile internet services were suspended as a countermeasure for the violence.
Call for action against police
On Wednesday, a Mawlai delegation — consisting of the Khasi Student Union, local members of the district council, several headmen representing different constituencies, federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo people, and many NGOs — met the chief minister, deputy CM and two other ministers.
The move followed the constitution of a judicial inquiry panel under Meghalaya Human Rights Commission Chair Justice T. Vaiphel (retd).
The delegation demanded the suspension of the top officers who were “involved” in the killing — SP East Jaintia Hills and SP Shillong city — to prevent “falsifying” of evidence during the course of the judicial probe.
However, the government didn’t give any assurance, saying it will look into the matter as soon as possible, Syiem said.
At a press briefing earlier, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said: “It is only when we have the judicial inquiry report with us which informs us about who was responsible for what happened on 13 August, will we be able to take any kind of extreme action like suspension.”
(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)
Also read: Modi govt wants all Northeast capitals connected by rail. Here’s how many are linked now