Meghalaya Govt has sought a details from the East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner following the clash in which 9 police personnel were injured when a mob on Thursday attacked the premises of the M/s Meghalaya Cement Limited to protest against the holding of a public hearing for the proposed expansion project of the company.
Spokesperson of MDA 2.0 Government and the cabinet Minister Dr. M Ampareen Lyngdoh said, one individual was held and the situation is under control now.
“The injuries were mostly on the part of the police personnel, about 9 police personnel were injured moderately by stone pelting and aggressive behaviors of the few Rowdy people who came in the name of protesting and one person has been detained but the situation is under control and they were able to conclude the hearing subsequently,” Dr. Lyngdoh said.
The public hearing was conducted for the proposed expansion of production capacity from 2600 TPD (0.858 MTPA) to 4500 TPD (1.485 MTPA) with 10 MW CPP and 9.5 MW WHRS by Meghalaya Cements Ltd, Thangskai.
Elaborating on the incident, the Minister said, “Unfortunately there was conflict, where the protesters came to the location for disrupting the entire hearing procedures and for the initial part of the hearing when it was conducted everything was under control but when it went out of hand they shifted the hearing location also but when a certain section of the crowd became violent , they resorted to vandalizing, they were attempting to douse fire on on the tent that was set up, there was attack, there was stone pelting and other, so to put that under control, a tear gas firing was ordered.”
East Jaintia Hills district SP Jagpal Singh Dhanoa said while the public hearing was underway, protesters numbering 100-150 turned into a mob and started vandalizing the pandals and chairs of the venue, they also attempted to set the pandal on fire.
Since there were many women and children present at the venue the district police did not use any force to disperse the mob, he said.
Subsequently, after discussion with the district administration, representatives of Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, village authorities and company executives, the venue for the public hearing was shifted to another hall inside the premises.
The SP said at around 2 pm, the mob again proceeded towards the new venue with intention to cause damage to life and property.
Despite several requests mob became more and more aggressive and turned violent. They resorted to stone pelting endangering lives of civilians, district administration and police officials.
“Reasonable and proportionate non-fatal force was used to disperse the mob,” Dhanoa said while informing that a total of 9 police personnel were injured in the milieu.
He said that a case has been registered at Lumshnong police station and investigation is underway.