Staff Reporter
ROING, Dec 27: Life in the township of Roing, headquarters of Lower Dibang Valley, literally came to a standstill when a group of CRPF personnel went berserk and assaulted anyone they could lay hands upon in the Upper Market area on Christmas eve.
About 30 personnel of the D/186 Company of the CRPF, most of them in plain clothes, armed with rifles, hockey sticks and cricket bats, barged out of their base camp and attacked bystanders in the market place. A young college student sustained serious injuries and has been referred to a hospital for treatment.
A students’ union leader, Jimpo Linggi, who was an eyewitness to the violence, told The Sentinel that at about 4.15 pm on December 25 about 30 CRPF personnel rushed out of their base camp and attacked civilians and damaged parked vehicles.
A case has been registered against one Ashwini Kumar, a CRPF jawan, who is being held responsible for the battering in midst of the market area.
The officials in the CRPF base camp when contacted accused some civilian ‘miscreants’ of attacking a jawan first while he was booking a ticket for the bus. It is reported that they have also filed a counter case for assault on the CRPF personnel.
Taking to this correspondent, CRPF Assistant Commandant BK Shyam Nivas said that a separate departmental inquiry had been initiated against the jawans involved in the attack, and if proved, appropriate disciplinary action extending to termination of job would be initiated. He also gave the assurance of cooperating with the administration and the police in their investigation into the case registered against the CRPF personnel.
Condemning the incident, the All Idu Mishmi Students’ Union (AIMSU) yesterday held a dawn-to-dusk bandh in the town, which went off peacefully with no reports of law-and-order problem. Submitting an ultimatum to the administration, the Union demanded immediate arrest of the CRPF personnel involved in the attack and termination of their services. It also demanded for shifting the CRPF base camp from the district headquarters. Further, a written apology in all leading print media from the Commanding Officer of the Company was sought for the unruly behaviour of the jawans.
The Union further accused the CRPF jawans of discriminatory behaviour in selectively frisking and singling out local indigenous people while on duty. At a meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, it reminded the administration of all such complaints lodged earlier against the paramilitary force. An earlier case of ill-treatment meted out to villagers of Koronu was also brought to the notice of the administration. The CRPF personnel are alleged to have taken away the prized possession of hunted skulls of wild animals, which is traditionally decorated in a tribal house.
Admitting such excesses, Superintendent of Police T Kargya said that decorating a house with skulls of wild animals is a tradition in this part of the world, and the CRPF personnel must learn to respect the local culture.
Sensing the rising anger in the people for the continued disregard to local sentiments, the district police head said: “We will take action and you control your emotion.”
Public displeasure and anger was also displayed by local panchayat leaders during the meeting for the December 25 attack. Condemning the incident, Lower Dibang Valley Zilla Chairperson Chiliko Meto warned of starting public agitations if the authority failed to book the culprits. Unequivocally, Roing Anchal Chairperson Amme Linggi and Roing ZPM Namo Linggi also expressed their words of condemnation.
Meanwhile, taking cognizance of the volatile situation, Assistant Commandant Nivas informed that they have halted deployment of CRPF personnel for patrolling the town and will confine within the camp till the situation calls for.
He expressed disappointment on the way CRPF was engaged in assisting the civil administration and lamented that they were being unjustifiably made party to conflicting opinions and existing political differences in the town. This came to light when he said that he was confused with the situation with certain section of people demanding continued deployment of troops while other for their evacuation. He also said how the government was failing even to provide the CRPF decent a accommodation. The revelation by the CRPF official exposes the inefficiency of State police in handling the law-and-order situation in the district and how it is heavily dependent on Central forces. Though initially deployed in the district for counter-insurgency operation in Anpum and Pagalam areas, the responsibility for maintaining peace in the town has been entirely wrested upon CRPF.
“It does not make us feel proud to be patrolling in sabji bazaars when we are trained for extreme and difficult situations,” Nivas added. THE SENTINEL
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