Garo Hills clash: Tura court grants bail to Phulbari ex-MLA

Shillong: A lower court in Tura on Friday granted bail to former Phulbari legislator Esmatur Mominin in connection with the Garo Hills unrest.Tura sessions judge AM Ripnar granted Mominin bail on two sureties, amounting to Rs 80,000.Mominin, who had been absconding after the unrest, surrendered before Ri-Bhoi police a month back, after two separate FIRs had been filed against him by leader of opposition Mukul Sangma and former South Tura legislator John Leslee Sangma for allegedly spreading communal hatred.While granting bail, the court imposed stringent conditions on Mominin, directing him to appear before the investigating officer and the court itself, as and when required.Furthermore, the court has barred Mominin from leaving any area which comes under the jurisdiction of the court, without its prior permission, while directing him not to commit a similar offence in the future.Issuing a warning to Mominin, the court said, “Failure to comply with the above condition, bail will be liable to be cancelled”.Earlier, on March 9, despite strong opposition to non-tribal participation, Mominin had gone to the West Garo Hills DC’s office in Tura to file his nomination for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) polls, triggering tensions, which quickly escalated into a law and order situation.

Later, on that very day, Mominin allegedly delivered an inflammatory speech at Chibinang, leading to widespread protests in parts of Garo Hills. With the situation deteriorating, authorities were forced to cancel tribal council polls.