Shillong: Meghalaya Police have chargesheeted Social Welfare Minister Deborah C Marak for allegedly using the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants to intimidate voters during the Assembly elections last year.
The minister has, however, denied the charge.
East Garo Hills district SP Davis N R Marak told PTI today, the charge sheet was based on a complaint by the Independent candidate from Williamangar, Jonathon N Sangma, who had unsuccessfully contested the poll.
"After gathering enough evidence to prove that the accused had used underground elements to intimidate voters of independent candidate Jonathon Sangma on the eve of the 2013 state assembly elections, we have filed a charge sheet yesterday against Marak under Sections 102(B), 171(F) and 506 of the IPC in the local court," he said.
The charge sheet mentioned that a deal was struck and GNLA had intimidated voters in lieu of Marak's promised support to the cause of the outfit for a separate state.
Jonathon had alleged that Marak had used GNLA militants to intimidate villagers and ensure that they did not vote for him.
"I have not used any militant outfit to seek votes and if at all my supporters had used the help of militants, I cannot be blamed," Marak said.
The Social Welfare Minister, who had won four times earlier, claimed that she had never resorted to any unlawful activities.
Tennydard Marak, a GNLA leader and another accused, said the charge sheet could be a conspiracy to scuttle his move to pursue the case related to the ST status issue of the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.
Tennydard is in the news for questioning the tribal status of the chief minister and is also pursuing the case in Supreme Court.
According to the SP, a week prior to the elections, posters were pasted in Williamnagar in Garo language stating 'Whoever votes (for) Jonathan, this is gun and this is bullet' with pictures of guns and bullets.
During investigation, it was found pasting of the posters was the handiwork of Deborah Marak, Tennydard Marak and certain GNLA leaders, he said.
