MPSC petrol bomb attack: an MCS officer remanded to 7 days custody

SHILLONG, JULY 26: A lower court has today remanded a Meghalaya Civil Service (MCS) officer, the main accused of the recent petrol bomb attack on the office of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) to seven days police custody.

Grandwill Harly Passah, a former Block Development Officer of Jirang C&RD Block who is still put under suspension since 2015, was produced before the Court here on Thursday.

This was a day after Passah surrendered before the Lumdiengjri Police Station when he was later arrested by the police of Sadar Police Station, where the case of the arson attack was registered following an FIR filed by the MPSC secretary.

It may be mentioned here that two unidentified persons went to the office of the MPSC and lobbed a petrol bomb in the room of the Commission’s Secretary WAB Booth damaging important documents, computers etc on July 10.

His arrest was also following the recent arrest of four accused persons which includes the two persons who were paid for the arson attack.

Confirming this, East Khasi Hills District police chief Davis NR Marak said that the accused officer has been produced before the court and he was remanded to seven days police custody.

Marak said preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested officer is involved in paying for the petrol bomb attack on the MPSC secretary’s room. “We have circumstantial evidence to the case,” he added.

The SP further reveals that one among the four arrested earlier, who had threatened the other accused persons not to reveal anyting or they may face some dire consequences, is the driver of the vehicle belonging to the sister of the accused officer.

“Also on further interrogation, we also found out that the person whom we had arrested earlier who had paid money to the other two people to carry out the arson attack was actually works in the house of this officer. He was also the one who later confessed that it was based on the order given by the officer,” he said.

Asked, the SP said that the motive behind the attack on the MPSC secretary’s room will only be known after interrogating the main accused (MCS officer).

Whether the attack was targeted on the MPSC or on the Commission’s secretary, Marak said, “It appears that the secretary was targeted and the reason why, we will have to establish.”

The arrested accused person was paid Rs 50,000 who then inturn paid Rs 18,000 each to the two persons for carrying out the arson attack.

By Our Reporter