Human rights body criticise Meghalaya govt''s role in encounter

Shillong, Apr 20 (PTI) Meghalaya People's Human Rights Council (MPHRC) today strongly criticised the state government for not adhering to the guidelines given by the National Human Rights Commissioner (NHRC) in connection with the recent alleged fake encounter in which one person was killed in Meghalaya's Garo Hills.MPHRC secretary general Dinno D Dympep said his organisation was deeply concerned about the "uncaring" attitude of the state government in connection with the alleged fake police encounter, in which a 50-year-old man Washington Marak was killed in a fake encounter by Meghalaya police belonging to the Special Operation Team (SOT) in the wee hours of January 26 this year at Rongrekgre village."The fake police encounter was carried under the garb of flushing out the Garo National Liberation Council (GNLA) militants," he said adding that nobody knows about the progress of the case even as a magisterial inquiry has been set up.He alleged that the state government has not complied with the latest guidelines of the NHRC directing all the state governments in the country to set up an independent and impartial probe in connection with the fake encounter."The magisterial enquiry conducted by the sub-divisional officer will be in favour of the state government," Dympep said adding that there would be no scope for the state government to take the matter lightly as the commission having statutory powers could pull up the state government by asking the court to take up the matter.