Three injured in police firing; mob attack police station in Meghalaya

Shillong: Three persons were injured in an alleged police firing triggering a mob to torch a police station and five vehicles at Resubelpara in Meghalaya's North Garo Hills district, police said today.

The three persons, while they were returning from a weekly market, were fired at by police after the vehicle they were travelling did not stop at a police check point last night, North Garo Hills District Deputy Commissioner SC Sadhu told PTI.

All the three occupants of the car were critically injured and shifted to Guwahati where their conditions were reported stable, he said.

As the news spread, a mob set afire the local police station, five police vehicles and a makeshift shelter for police guards within the premises, he said.

While the police team maintained that the occupants of the vehicle were asked to stop in the first and second check points, their refusal led the policemen at the last layer to fire at them suspecting to be armed militants.

District SP Dalton Marak said, "we had information about William Sangma (who had earlier evaded arrest by running away in a vehicle which was asked to stop) and had duly set up a check point, close to the Belpara Baptist Church. However, at about 10:30, when we asked the vehicle to stop, it refused to do so."

The situation, however, was brought under control this morning after the residents of the town took out a march against the "excesses of the police", he said.