Meghalaya Home Minister Lakhmen Rymbui resigned after mob violence and arson in Shillong on Independence Day forced the local authorities to enforce an indefinite curfew and suspend Internet services for 48 hours in four districts.
The killing of former extremist leader Cheristerfield Thangkhiew by the police on Friday morning triggered the unruly situation that climaxed during his burial at about 1 p.m. on Sunday.
“…Thangkhiew was killed following the raid of police at his residence exceeding the tenets of the law. Considering the gravity of the situation, I would request you to relieve the Home (Police) Department from me with immediate effect,” Mr. Rymbui wrote in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
The resignation, he said, was needed for a free and fair probe. “I propose judicial enquiry be conducted,” he said.
Mr. Rymbui represents the regional United Democratic Party, a minor ally of Mr. Sangma’s National People’s Party. The BJP is also one of the ruling allies.
Tension in Shillong began brewing from Saturday evening when miscreants attacked a police vehicle. It snowballed after Thangkhiew’s burial as members of his family termed his death as a “cold-blooded murder”.
Masked protesters brandishing black flags attacked and vandalised a number of vehicles, including police and tourist cars, and indulged in stone-pelting, arson and theft. They also seized a police vehicle along with weapons and drove around the localities, wielding the weapons they snatched before setting the vehicle on fire.
As the situation went beyond the control of the police, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo issued an order clamping “total curfew” from 8 p.m. on Sunday due to the “serious breakdown of law and order”.
In another notification, the Home Department said mobile Internet/data services have been suspended for 48 hours in East Khasi Hills, of which Shillong is the headquarters, West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts in view of the sudden deterioration in law and order.
A founder-member of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, he was shot in his residence in the city’s Mawlai area.
R. Chandranathan, DGP, said the police had raided Thangkhiew’s residence on Friday to arrest him in connection with a recent IED blast in Shillong. “He pulled out a knife and tried to attack the personnel, who had to open fire in self-defence,” he said.
On Saturday, the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission took cognisance of the killing and said: “The instant case appears to have resulted in gross human rights violation.”
The Commission directed the Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report within 15 days for further orders. It said it would conduct its own investigation if the report turned out to be unsatisfactory.
