Esmatur Mominin File Photo
Shillong, May 16:Former Phulbari MLA and former GHADC member S.G. Esmatur Mominin was granted bail on Friday in cases linked to the unrest that disrupted parts of Garo Hills ahead of the GHADC elections earlier this year.
The bail order was passed by Sessions Judge A.M. Ripnar in Tura, who directed the accused to furnish a bail bond of Rs 80,000 along with two sureties of the same amount.
The court further ordered that the bond be executed before the JMFC, Phulbari Circuit Court.
Mominin is facing allegations related to the spread of communal tension during the politically sensitive period leading up to the district council elections.
Reports stated that separate FIRs were filed against him by Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma and former South Tura MLA John Leslee Sangma following the unrest.
The court imposed multiple conditions while granting relief to the former legislator. Mominin has been directed to cooperate fully with investigators and appear before the court whenever required during the course of the case.
Related : Meghalaya HC grants bail to former MDC Sofior Rahman in Garo Hills cases
He has also been restrained from influencing witnesses, contacting complainants, tampering with evidence, or leaving the court’s jurisdiction without prior permission.
The case is rooted in the turmoil that unfolded on March 9 during the nomination process for the GHADC elections in Tura. According to reports, tensions escalated near the Deputy Commissioner’s office shortly after Mominin arrived to file his nomination papers.
What initially began as a politically charged confrontation soon developed into a wider law and order crisis across parts of Garo Hills. Authorities further alleged that remarks made later the same day during a gathering at Chibinang intensified the already volatile situation, contributing to unrest in several areas.
As tensions spread, security concerns mounted rapidly, ultimately forcing authorities to call off the GHADC elections. The unrest triggered a major political and security crisis in the region, leading to multiple arrests, police operations and heightened tensions across Garo Hills in the weeks that followed.
Mominin eventually appeared before police in Nongpoh on April 13 following weeks of intense investigation into the unrest that had shaken several parts of Garo Hills in the aftermath of the GHADC election controversy.
Although the court has granted him conditional bail at this stage of the proceedings, the larger criminal investigation linked to the unrest remains active, with authorities continuing to examine the sequence of events that led to the breakdown of law and order in the region.
Read Also : Pynter youth death: Father files FIR alleging assault by Headman and VDP members