TURA:
A day after four leaders of Garo non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were temporarily detained by the police for seizing allegedly fraudulent bundles of beedis from shops at Rongram Market on May 26, the members of the NGOs has written to home minister Lahkmen Rumbui demanding replacement of West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police, on May 27.
In the letter, the leaders of the different organisations, namely Pritam Marak of Federation of Khasi–Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Dalseng Bira Ch Momin of Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE), Sengbat Marak of A·chik Youth Welfare Organization (AYWO) and Brinbal Sangma of Federation of A·chik Freedom (FAF), said that they want SP V S Rathore to be replaced for detaining and registering cases against them for what they feel, was a “voluntary act of civil action”.
Earlier on May 26, four NGO leaders were detained by Tura Chandmari police and cases were registered against them and several others for seizing allegedly fraudulent bundles of beedis. While the police detained them saying NGOs have no legal rights to make seizures, the organsations claimed that traders were selling the product without any MRP and hence they conducted the “surprise check”. After the leaders were detained, chaos ensued at the Tura Police Station, when members of the organisations gheraoed the station and started sloganeering against the law enforcement authorities.
The NGOs further claimed that the police, in February this year, had taken cognisance against six people in Tura for tax evasion with regard to the sale of beedis avoiding GST and cash worth Rs 6 lakh were seized.
“Upon learning about the matter, we also conducted an enquiry and found that beedis were being shipped into our markets without payment of GST and also none of the packets have price tags,” stated the agitating leaders.
Though they claim that their actions were to check pilfering of government revenue, the police maintain that NGOs are not authorised to check and seize produce as that is meant to be conducted by competent government agencies.