Two petrol bombs were hurled at the Directorate of Mineral Resources office located in Shillong’s Risa Colony on Wednesday afternoon, setting a car ablaze and causing damage to the vehicle, according to local police.
Incident Occurred During Office Hours
The attack took place at approximately 3.32 pm while employees were actively present inside the building, stated DMR Director MB Tongper. One of the incendiary devices struck a vehicle belonging to a DMR official, triggering a fire on the car. Fortunately, the staff member who owned the targeted vehicle was away from the office when the assault occurred.
Explosion Sound Mistaken for a Collision
Tongper recounted that he was busy attending a meeting inside his private room when he heard a sudden loud noise. He initially assumed the sound was merely a vehicle hitting an obstacle outside, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that the car was burning. He noted that the flames had ignited directly from the front section of the automobile.
Swift Response Extinguishes Flames
The fire was brought under control within a remarkably short span of four to five minutes by people at the scene. Tongper reiterated that the vehicle's owner was outside at the time and praised the quick mitigation of the flames before the situation could escalate further.
Chief Minister Visits the Site
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma arrived at the DMR office shortly after the incident to assess the situation firsthand. He was accompanied by the chief secretary and several other high-ranking officials during the site review. Sangma assured that the government would extend financial assistance and compensation for the damaged private vehicle since it belonged to a staff member. Furthermore, Tongper added that the chief minister strongly emphasized the installation of additional CCTV cameras at the DMR office and surrounding government establishments to help track down those responsible.
Multiple FIRs Filed as Investigation Begins
Law enforcement authorities confirmed that two separate FIRs have been registered at the Laitumkhrah police station regarding the incident. One complaint was formally lodged by the DMR director, while the second was filed by the employee whose automobile was ruined. Tongper stated that Wednesday's assault marked the first time such an aggressive incident had targeted the DMR office. He admitted that officials currently have no knowledge of the perpetrators or the motives behind the attack, noting that an active police investigation is underway.
Prior Attack on Shillong Police Station
This violent episode occurred exactly four days after two unidentified individuals allegedly hurled petrol bombs at the Laban police station in Shillong. During that earlier occurrence, two police officers narrowly escaped injury while a parked police patrol vehicle suffered partial damage. That attack was successfully recorded on CCTV, and investigations into both security breaches continue.
