The Meghalaya Minister for Mining and Geology Donkupar Massar has landed himself in a soup after some labourers filed an FIR against him for assault. Massar has been accused of assaulting and threatening to kill four labourers in Borsora, West Khasi Hills district. The injured labourers were taken to a nearby Community Health Centre (CHC) which referred them to the Shillong Civil Hospital. Several NGOs are up in arms against the high handed attitude of the minister and demanded the removal of Donkupar Massar.

The NGOs alleged that Mr Massar beat up and abused the labourers without any provocation. He then allegedly asked them to run along the road chasing them in his vehicle with the VIP siren blaring. The minister then tried to run them over when they did not run fast enough. He later took them to his office and asked them to sign in a blank paper and the labourers complied as his men were pointing guns at them. The Chief Minister, Dr. Donkupar Roy who is heading a coalition government when asked what action he is going to take said that he MPA coordination committee will discuss the issue and accordingly decide whether to drop Massar.

The MPA coordination committee which met  to discuss the issue decided to hear both sides of the story before initiating any action.

Donkupar Massar has however denied the allegations  against him and said that it was misinterpretation of facts. On the day of the incident he had visited Borsora on an official trip as a minister to get some first hand information regarding some of the anomalies which had been detected in these departments. He clarified that on October 3 on reaching Borsora in the evening, he noticed that a camp had been constructed within the leased land belonging to his mother and he later proceeded to attend to his other duties. On his way back to Shillong the next day on reaching his mother’s land he noticed that some men were still undertaking construction and when confronted they came up with the same story as the other person the previous evening. Denying that he had assaulted any of them, the Minister said that legal proceedings are being initiated against the labourers who had made false allegations against him.

Donkupar Massar who is currently on a foreign tour is in further trouble after the village headman of Pongtung Wallambok Lyngdoh filed an FIR at the Pynursla police station against him for assault.