Tura, Sept 30: Garo Hills today held solemn events to commemorate the tragedy of 21 years ago, when police opened fire on civilian protesters in Tura and Williamnagar, killing nine people, including a teenage schoolboy.
Citizens gathered at the Tura Chandmari playground and the Rongrenggiri field in Williamnagar to offer prayers, lay floral wreaths and light candles at the memorial cenotaphs erected where the victims fell. The events were organised by the September 30th Victims Solidarity Forum, which holds the commemoration every year.
Families of the nine victims attended the memorial services, where they were consoled by Forum members. A special prayer service was held in memory of the dead and of the dozens who survived with debilitating injuries.
The day began with family members visiting the cemeteries to place wreaths and light candles on the graves of their loved ones. Shops and business establishments closed from noon to 3 pm, and schools declared a half-holiday as a mark of respect.
The protests had erupted across Garo Hills over the then government’s decision to restructure the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE), which was headquartered in Tura. Fears that the board, the only state institution based in Tura, would be shifted elsewhere further fuelled public anger.
That anger spilled onto the streets, and large crowds defied a government ban on public gatherings. On the morning of September 30, 2005, hundreds of protesters filled the Tura Chandmari playground. Another crowd soon gathered at the Rongrenggiri Government School playground in Williamnagar.
The twin gatherings soon led to clashes with security forces deployed at both venues to prevent assemblies. Personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) opened indiscriminate fire, ostensibly to contain stone pelting by the crowds. Five people were killed in the Williamnagar firing, and four others, including a 16-year-old boy, died in Tura. Dozens more suffered bullet injuries.
A judicial inquiry ordered by the government found the authorities in Tura guilty of violating norms, while the Williamnagar violence was attributed to the crowd going berserk on hearing of the Tura incident, which led to the subsequent police firing.
However, according to the September 30th Victims Solidarity Forum, no official or police personnel has faced any reprimand or action in the 21 years since the firing and the judicial probe. The Forum said the victims’ families and survivors are still waiting for accountability.
