Shillong, Jan 7: Chairman of Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) Justice T Vaiphei on Friday held the first hearing of the judicial inquiry into the killing of ex-HNLC militant Cherishterfield Thangkhiew. After the hearing, he informed that Meghalaya police has filed an application requesting the Commission to conduct the proceedings of the inquiry in camera in private, to the exclusion of public and family members of the victim.“In camera proceedings if a request is made by the state government, the law says to allow but there was a question if in camera proceedings if it will include or exclude the families of the victims?” he said while sharing that the request for the in-camera proceedings was allowed with a rider that only the Counsel for the family of the victim will be allowed to participate in the proceedings and no other person except officials of the commission, police officials concerned, counsel for the family of the victim and commission, will be allowed to participate or enter the court room of the MHRC.

The inquiry is expected to hold its second hearing on January 14 – 15 as the government is expected to submit evidence on the said dates.

At the same time, Justice Vaiphei informed that there are several witnesses and at this point he’s unable to specify the exact numbers of hearings required to record all of them.

However, he assured to complete the inquiry at the earliest even though the procedural wrangling make it near impossible to finish the inquiry so soon.

It may be mentioned that the judicial inquiry was constituted by the state govt last year after a massive law and order situation erupted in the state following Thangkhiew’s killed at his residence in Mawlai during the wee hours of August 13, 2021 by state police.

Thangkhiew was killed during a retaliatory firing in which the police claimed that the former militant tried to attack the police during the encounter with a knife.

Justice Vaiphei had sought for extension in which the government gave a month’s extension in November last year to the inquiry commission.