From Bhupen Goswami
Shillong: At least five police personnel were injured on Monday when an agitated mob attacked the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Tura town of western Meghalaya, police said. Officials gave this information. Chief Minister C K Sangma was present in the office and was holding a meeting with representatives of Achik Conscious Holistically Integrated Karima (ACHIK) and Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC), which demanded that Tura be declared the winter capital, they said.
At the same time, a crowd gathered outside the office and started pelting stones. Police fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse the protesters. Some police personnel were injured in the incident. Chief Minister Sangma is safe in this attack, but five of his security personnel were injured. Night curfew had to be imposed in Tura town to control the situation.At the time of the attack, Sangma was interacting with representatives of the Conscious Fully Integrated Crimea and Garo Hills State Movement Committee. Some members of both the organisations have been on a hunger strike for the last 14 days demanding that Tura be made the winter capital. The Chief Minister’s conversation was almost complete when suddenly a crowd came and started pelting stones. This caused a stir. The police had to fire tear gas shells. The mob also tried to break the gate of the Chief Minister’s Office.
Chief Minister Sangma enquired about the well-being of security personnel injured in the violence. Sangma announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured security personnel and medical expenses. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said, the attack is unfortunate. Even the representatives of these organizations do not know who the attackers are. These were people from outside. They are being traced.