Meghalaya govt examining firing reports : Lapang

Shillong, May 4 (UNI) Meghalaya chief minister D D Lapang has said that his government was examining the inquiry reports on the twin police firing at Tura and Williamnagar in which nine people were killed and several injured on September 30, 2005.

Mr Lapang said this last night while replying to the demand of several Garo Hills-based NGOs for a fresh judicial probe into the Williamnagar incident. Mr Lapang said the government was not dragging the issue and was not frightened to face the facts.

Police fired shots to quell the mob protesting against the issue of revamping and restructuring the headquarters of the Meghalaya Board of School Education.

Several Garo hills-based NGOs along with the main opposition, the Nationalist Congress Party(NCP), had demanded a fresh probe into the Williamnagar incident, alleging that the report submitted by Justice (Retd) D N Baruah was 'incomplete' and 'partial'.

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

Meanwhile, former Lok Sabha Speaker and NCP leader Purno A Sangma told UNI here today that his party had already prepared its papers seeking a CBI probe into the Williamnagar police firing incident.

''All paperwork has been done and it will be sent to the concerned authorities for further action,'' Mr Sangma added.

Last month, Mr Lapang tabled the reports of Justice D N Chaudhuri, who was probing the Tura incident and Justice (Retd) D N Baruah inquiring into the Williamnagar incident.

UNI