Who was Cherishterfield Thangkhiew for whom Meghalaya's Home Minister resigned?

A curfew and a ban on the internet – these two elements define the intensity of unrest that the hill state of Meghalaya is going through over the killing of a former militant by the state police.

Hundreds took to the streets, damaged vehicles including one of CRPF’s, and hurled a petrol bomb at the residence of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma a day after Cherishterfield Thangkhiew, the founder General Secretary of Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), was laid to rest.

For Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, 56-year-old Cherishterfield Thangkhiew, fondly called Bah Che was that hero who saved their lands, protected their local markets from ‘outsiders’, i.e. non-tribal settlers.

Back in 1987, When Cherishterfield Thangkhiew joined HNLC, he was merely 22 years old. The organization's main objective is to free Meghalaya from the domination of outsiders (the Dkhars) and create a separate state for the Khasis. The outfit was proscribed in 2000. Though later the ban was lifted, it again got outlawed in 2019.

A jailbreak and a surrender:

In 1995, Cherishterfield Thangkhiew and seven other dreaded militants escaped from a Shillong Jail. After that he took shelter in Bangladesh along with his colleagues including the HNLC ‘Chairman’, Julias K. Dorphang, and ‘Commander-in Chief’ Bobby Marweiñ.

The HNLC leader was also instrumental in setting up more than six training camps of the outfit in the Sylhet and Maulavibazar districts of Bangladesh.

In October 2018, Cherishterfield Thangkhiew surrendered before Deputy CM Preston Tynsong of the Meghalaya government. By then Cherishterfield was wanted in many cases related to kidnappings, killing, robbery, and other criminal activities. He did not surrender any arms citing that it was too risky to carry them because the Bangladesh security forces was deployed all the way to the border of Meghalaya from Chittagong where he took shelter in the late 1990s.

What led to the encounter of Cherishterfield Thangkhiew:

On August 10, a low-intensity blast in a busy market in Laitumkhrah in Shillong went off at around 1:30 injuring a shopkeeper and a passer-by. Later HNLC General Secretary cum Spokesperson Saińkupar Nongtraw, who is based in Bangladesh claimed responsibility for the blast through a Facebook post.

The Meghalaya police were already inquiring into another IED blast case that took place in Jaintia Hills when it happened.

[caption id="attachment_99651" align="alignnone" width="1151"] Miscreants pelted stones and vandalized vehicles[/caption]

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma later on the same day said that none involved in the blast “will be spared.” The main suspect of the blast was HNLC’s former militant Cherishterfield Thangkhiew.

In the wee hours of Friday, a raid was carried out by the combined team of East Jaintia Hills and East Khasi Hills Police at Cherishterfield Thangkhiew's residence in Shillong.

[caption id="attachment_99829" align="alignnone" width="1571"] Streets of Mawlai littered with junk after yesterday's protests[/caption]

According to police as soon as the team entered the former militant’s house, he attacked them with a knife. In retaliation, the police opened fire which left him seriously injured. Later when he was brought to a hospital, Cherishterfield Thangkhiew was declared “brought dead.”

Encounter versus extra-judicial killing:

Between Saturday and Sunday, Shillong witnessed one of the massive protests in support of a dead extremist. Masked protesters were seen brandishing black flags and wielding weapons. They attacked and vandalized a number of vehicles including those of police and tourists. They indulged in arson and stone-pelting.

On Sunday, during the celebration of Independence Day, a petrol bomb was hurled at the residence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

Amidst violence, in another shocking development, Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui put his resignation. He expressed shock over the killing of the former HNLC ex-leader.

"Considering the gravity of the situation, I request you to relieve me of the Home (Police) Department with immediate effect. This will facilitate free and fair inquiry taken by the government to bring out the truth of the incident," Rymbui said in his resignation letter to Chief Minister Sangma.

Later on Sunday, the Meghalaya government clamped a curfew in Shillong and banned internet in at least four districts of Meghalaya to contain violence.

According to the protesters, the killing of Cherishterfield Thangkhiew was a staged encounter. The family members of the extremist also claimed that the Meghalaya police just wanted to “eliminate” him.

G. Thangkheiw, brother of Cherishterfield Thangkhiew stated to the media that the people at the helms of affairs have misused their power on those who have no power.

“My brother was very ill, he was always at home. He couldn’t even walk up the stairs and his legs were swollen since he had kidney problems and other health issues. If they wanted to interrogate him they should have come and question him during the day and not during the middle of the night.”

G Diengdoh, so of Cherishter Thangkheiw also said that police forcefully broke into their house and the next he heard was a gunshot.

Judicial inquiry into the killing of Cheristerfiled Thangkhiew:

Amidst pressure from various rights bodies, students’ organizations and opposition parties, the Meghalaya government on Monday ordered a judicial inquiry into the killing Cherishterfield Thangkhiew after a cabinet meeting. It also decided to form a peace committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Cabinet Minister Hamlet Dohling and Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar.

[caption id="attachment_99827" align="alignnone" width="1299"] The Meghalaya Cabinet met today[/caption]

In a video, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said, “In the cabinet meeting we discussed the overall series of incidents over the past few months including the different IED blasts occurred in Jaintia Hills and that IED blast that left one old lady in Laitumkhrah in Shillong. We briefed the cabinet on different aspects of the events that took place and discussed also the police operation that took place on the 13th morning. Details were given to the cabinet ministers and the officers over there. And based on all those aspects and also based on suggestions given by the cabinet ministers, the cabinet has decided to constitute a judicial inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act to look into the incident of 13th morning.”

CM Conrad Sangma informed that as many as five companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces of BSF and CRPF are being deployed in the city.

Meghalaya stands 7th in extra-judicial killing:

According to National Human Rights Commission, Meghalaya ranked 7th in the country on police encounter deaths during 2014-2015 to 2018-2019. In that period a total of 1,073 persons were killed in police encounter across the country.

As per the NHRC data, the highest number of encounter deaths during this period took place in Chhattisgarh (248 death), followed by Assam (191 deaths), Uttar Pradesh (124 deaths), Jharkhand (75), Andhra Pradesh (71 deaths), Odisha (69 deaths), Meghalaya (56 deaths), Maharashtra (44 deaths), Haryana (28 deaths and Madhya Pradesh (21 deaths).

In the backdrop of unrest in Meghalaya, Suhas Chakma, a human rights activist and director of Rights and Risks Analysis Group said, “That Meghalaya, a State with a population of 30 lakhs as per 2011 census, ranked 7th in the country on police encounter deaths during 2014-2015 to 2018-2019 is a matter of grave concern and exposes the trigger happy nature of the State police.”

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