PYNURSLA:
A 34-year-old driver of a truck carrying cattle was shot dead allegedly by personnel of the Border Security Forces (BSF) along the Pynursla-Dawki road near Mawshun village in Pynursla on the evening of May 5.
Confirming the incident, the Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, S Nongtnger told The Meghalayan that the process of registering a case is on at Pynursla police station, adding that police are still at the place of occurrence to conduct an investigation.
The deceased has been identified as Roning Nongkynrih of Jalynteng village under Raid Nongkynrih in East Khasi Hills district.
According to the handyman of the truck, who is said to be the brother of the deceased, they were on their way from Laitlyngkot to drop the cattle at a place near Pynursla when they encountered a BSF truck that overtook them and stopped a few meters ahead of them.
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“The personnel got down from the truck and that was when the shooting happened. It was around 11 pm last night. After a few rounds of shots, I checked on my brother and found he was covered in blood. He was not moving at all. I just hugged him tight, closed my eyes and prayed. While they approached the truck, I couldn’t move a finger. I was so scared they would shoot me as well. I didn’t even breathe and was lying still till they left the spot. I peeped and saw the BSF truck driving away. After they left, I then ran for help to the nearby villages,” the handyman said.
When asked why the BSF opened fire at the truck, the district police chief said, “We haven’t established the reason as of now. We received the information last night around 12.30 am and immediately, a police team was rushed to the spot. The police are still investigating into the matter.”
Meanwhile, the Rangbah Shnong of Jalynteng Nongkynrih has condemned this act and termed it as a “brutal murder” by the men in uniform.
“If he (deceased) has circumvented the law in any way, they could have detained and arrested him and not take the law into their own hands – to take a person’s life is unacceptable. We demand stern action to be initiated against those involved,” he said.
Furthermore, he informed that the deceased was a father of a three-month old baby and was the sole bread-earner of the family. “We demand compensation from the government and the BSF and we also want the Home department to ensure that these men who guard our borders refrain from taking the law into their owns and to prevent such kinds of incidents from happening in future,” he added.