GSU calls 10-hr strike in Garo Hills opposing Baruah report

Shillong, Apr 27 (UNI) The Garo Student's Union(GSU) today called a ten-hour strike on April 30 in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district to force the Congress-led government to institute a fresh judicial probe into the September 30, 2005 police firing in Williamnagar.

''The strike will start from 0600 hours in the entire East Garo Hills district,'' GSU Eastern Zone President Zacaria Arengh told UNI over phone from Williamnagar today.

The GSU, opposition Nationalist Congress Party and several NGOs had demanded a fresh probe into the incident alleging that the report submitted by Justice (Retd) D N Baruah was 'incomplete' and ''partial''.

Five people, including a woman, had been killed and scores injured in the firing.

''We have decided to take to the streets to pressurise the government to institute a fresh judicial inquiry,'' Mr Arengh said.

He said the indigenous people in the district had also extended their support to the GSU to mount pressure on the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government to institute a fresh inquiry.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma had also said that the NCP will approach the Centre to initiate a CBI probe if the government failed to reconstitute a fresh inquiry before June.

Justice Baruah, who probed the incident, gave a 'clean chit' to the district administration stating that the measures taken by it were 'just and proper'.

UNI