SHILLONG, AUG 14: The Joint Action Committee on Border of Meghalaya (JACBOM) has sought action against the police personnel of Jrikyndeng police station for assault of a minor boy and two others.

In a letter to SP of West Karbi Anglong District, Hamren, Assam on August 12, JACBOM chairman Erwin K Syiem Sutnga said the police personnel of Jrikyndeng police station had physically assaulted with one minor namely Wanlangki Sungoh and Manki Sungoh and Augustine Shylla.

On August 11, the residents of Mowjem village had gone out to search for one missing person, a resident of Mowjem, who had gone for fishing.

However, at around 11 PM while these residents were returning back home to their villages, suddenly the police personnel of Jrikyndeng Police Station under Second OC Saikia confronted them on the road outside Jrikyndeng and later beat up the three persons. Since they did not return home the villagers of Mowjem and other villages went looking for them. They were found to be taken to the Police Station, Sutnga said.

“While they were in the said Police Station the Officer In-Charge instead of conducting the investigation, directly ordered the police personnel to lathi charge the residents and the minor boy who (was) present there was severely injured from behind his back because he was assaulted with the barrel of a gun,” he said.

Sutnga said this act was done in the presence of the Headmen of Sapiang, Mowlaiñ, Mowjem, the Secretary and the Executive Members of the said Dorbar Shnong.

Furthermore, he said the minor boy who is a school boy is only 16 years of age and he is studying in class IX in one school at Jrikyndeng village. The boy had volunteered to assist the search for the missing person because the missing person is his close family relative.

“Therefore, we request you to take any necessary action to initiate legal proceedings against all those police personnel who are involved in this incident and so that the Assam Police Authorities can punish them as per the relevant provisions of law for abusing and misusing the authority by attacking the innocent rural villagers who were in need of help by the Assam Police since a person had gone missing,” Sutnga said.