SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has finally broken his silence on the series of petrol bomb attacks that have plagued Shillong in the past month.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Chief Minister Sangma said that these attacks on police stations, government officials, and establishments are a fallout of the recent arrests made by the administration in connection with “certain” crimes that have taken place in the city.
“Firstly, it’s clear that these (attacks) are reactionary actions to certain arrests that were made. These haven’t come as a surprise to us but yes, it’s happening way too often and we are making sure that such incidents shouldn’t happen. I want to assure the people that the government is taking steps to contain the situation,” he said.
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The Chief Minister further reiterated that all the arrests were made based on evidence and since these incidents are spread across the length and breadth of the city, the police are still trying to procure evidence and once that’s done, the perpetrators will be behind bars.
“These arrests have been made based on evidence. We analyse CCTV recordings and videos before making any arrests but unfortunately, we have been unable to collect them in the recent incidents. These incidents have been spread out to different corners of the city and it’s not immediately possible to secure evidence. But the police are on the job,” he informed.
The Chief Minister, while maintaining objectivity, stated that it wouldn’t be appropriate to jump to conclusions just yet.
“Government or the police can’t act on speculation. As and when we have the evidence, we have taken action in the past and even in the future, we won’t shy away from repeating it,” he added.
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Following the recent arrests of members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in connection with the triple murder of non-tribal individuals in Ichamati and Shillong’s Mawlai Mawroh, a series of attacks have occurred in the region.
Although the Chief Minister refrained from directly naming any organisation, the incidents took place shortly after KSU members were apprehended.
Prior to these events, the KSU had issued a strong warning to the government, cautioning against further detentions of its members, citing potential disruptions to law and order.
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The timing of these attacks has also raised eyebrows.
Notably, on April 24, a petrol bomb was thrown at the convoy of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) director, coinciding with the court appearance of two additional KSU members, Cleanstar Shabong (27), and Gary Mawlieh (25), who were arrested in connection with the Ichamati and Mawlai Mawroh murders.
