SHILLONG:
The Sur ka Bri u Hynniewtrep (voice of the Hynniewtrep people) has demanded the state government reveal the contents of the investigation report into the death of former Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) leader Cheristerfield Thangkhiew.
It may be mentioned that retired Justice T Vaiphei, who headed the probe ,submitted the report to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on May 20.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, member of the group, Donboklang Kharlyngdoh questioned the motive of the government in sending the report to the political department. He feared that the report would be tampered.
He said, “The report was submitted on May 20, it is time for the government to bring it to the public domain. We also want to know what the hidden motive is in sending it to the political department. We urge the government to place it in the public domain.”
He said that the people want to know who were involved in the killing of Thangkhiew and to have their services terminated.
“We want to ask the state government, you ask us to hit the streets again? If we see any complications, be prepared and we will hit the streets again to demand the report be revealed,” he said.
Earlier, protests had erupted across the city after police in an “encounter” had shot dead the former HNLC leader at his residence in Mawlai Kynton Massar in the wee hours of August 13.
Incidentally, the encounter happened three days after the Laitumkhrah bomb blast on August 10. Post the encounter, the police had clarified that it had “incontrovertible” evidence to link Thangkhiew with a series of blasts carried out by the proscribed outfit.
The 54-year-old HNLC leader’s family members, however, had strongly condemned the police department for killing Thangkhiew and said that the police killed Thangkhiew in cold blood. “If they suspected him, the police could have come during the daytime, why come in the middle of the night? Why do they need to shoot him? This is pre-planned. They just wanted to eliminate him,” they had said.