A day after mob lynching of four of the six prisoners who had escaped from the Jowai district prison and correctional home in West Jaintia Hills district, the Meghalaya government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident that had occurred at Shangpung on September 11.
Making a suo motu statement in the assembly on the second day of the autumn session on September 12, Meghalaya home minister Lahkmen Rymbui said additional district magistrate BK Boro will head the magisterial probe and the report will be submitted on September 19, while a separate police inquiry is also on.
Those lynched by a mob of over 5000 from different villages were I Love You Talang who was recently arrested by police in a twin murder case.
The dead also included murder accused Lodestar Tang, Shidorki Dkhar and Marsanki Tariang, who had been convicted by the court for killing his wife by setting her on fire on March 19, 2015.
Rymbui also said that police arrested five jail staff for lapses in the Jowai district prison and correctional home in West Jaiñtia Hills leading to the escape of six prisoners.
A prison official said that the arrested jail staff had conspired with the escapees.
The arrested staff are Rajesh Swer (head warder), Pyndapbor Bamon (warder), Chamilan Kynjing (warder), Damelahun Sunn (temporary warder) and Alexius Iawram (temporary warder).
Meanwhile, Ramesh Dkhar, who had escaped the Jowai district prison and correctional home in West Jaiñtia Hills was arrested on September 12 from Phramer, police sources said.
Ramesh along with six other prisoners escaped the jail on September 10. He had managed to flee from the mob lynching in Shangpung on September 11, where four others got killed.
The whereabouts of the sixth prisoner, Rikamenlang Lamare were not known till the filing of this report.
On the other hand, after making a statement on the mob lynching in the assembly on September 11, Meghalaya home minister Rymbui also requested the citizens not to take law into their own hands.
