OUR CORRESPONDENT
Shillong, Dec. 11: The Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court has asked Meghalaya police to provide information on all aspects of the Shillong jailbreak, including details about the undertrial prisoners who were caught later, to the Civil Society Women’s Organisation, a women’s rights group, within 15 days.
The court order released today has put police in an uncomfortable position as the truth behind allegations of the death of jailbreak mastermind Full Moon Dhar in a fake encounter will come to light.
The gang leader who walked out of Shillong Jail with six others on May 31 this year was gunned down by the police in a Jaintia Hills forest, just 40km away, the next day.
The details will also shed light on the alleged involvement of Congress politician Thomas Nongtdu, then party’s nominated member to Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council who was arrested on the night of June 3 on charges of handing over Rs 3 lakh to Full Moon through the prisoner’s girlfriend, Evatiplang Kharkongor.
On July 2, the president of the women’s organisation, Agnes Kharshiing, filed an application under the Right to Information Act, asking the public information officer, police headquarters, Shillong, to provide detailed information on the jailbreak.
Kharshiing also sought the videography of Full Moon’s post-mortem and a copy of the autopsy report.
According to Kharshiing, the incident being related to life and liberty of the undertrial prisoners languishing in Shillong Jail, she had sought relevant information within 48 hours under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.
The police in their reply had maintained that there was no question of jeopardising the life and liberty of the undertrial prisoners as they are lodged in jail under judicial custody.
Unhappy with the reply, Kharshiing had filed a complaint with the Meghalaya State Information Commission under Section 18 of the Act against the public information officer.
The commission on July 17 asked the public information officer of the police department as to why information could not be furnished.
In his reply, the public information commissioner said he had wanted at least 30 days to furnish information. However, the Commission in an order on August 6 asked the police to furnish information within seven days. Later, the public information officer filed a petition in the Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court to quash the order of the Commission.