Shillong: In a disturbing turn of events following the conclusion of a TMC election campaign in Garo Hills Tikrikilla, unidentified assailants targeted a flying squad team of the election department, leaving the Flying Squad Magistrate injured.
This marks the first instance of poll-related violence during the campaign period for the Tura Lok Sabha seat.
The attack took place on Monday night, as the rally concluded peacefully and attendees began dispersing. However, the flying squad team remained in the area to carry out their monitoring duties. Between 9:30 to 10 PM, the assailants struck.
Flying squad magistrate Adinson Ch Momin, who sustained facial injuries during the attack, recounted the ordeal.
He described that approximately five men emerged from the darkness and launched the assault without provocation. The attackers indicated that they had been lying in wait for the team, though they provided no motive for their actions.
The flying squad team, comprising Momin, his camera man, and a police constable, found themselves targeted in what appears to be a premeditated attack. Momin promptly reported the incident to the police at Tikrikilla station, detailing the intoxicated state of the assailants and their hasty retreat upon the arrival of the police constable.
In his report, Momin emphasized that the attack was not a result of any confrontation between rival political factions, stating that it had “nothing to do with the political parties.”
This assertion suggested that the assault was a targeted act of violence against the election monitoring team, rather than a manifestation of broader political tensions in the region.
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