Residents of Williamnagar are worried as the incident has created fear among voters
The death of Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathane N Sangma in an IED blast in Meghalaya's Garo Hills has triggered a debate over law and order in the state where assembly elections will be held on February 27.
The Williamnagar assembly constituency candidate and three others were killed when an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists exploded at a village in Garo Hills, 300 km from state capital Shillong.
The opposition BJP has criticised the ruling Congress of failing to maintain law and order in the state.
One of the four people who died in the blast was a member of an armed group and had surrendered in 2016. The NCP candidate and his supporters had just left a village in Samanda block in the Garo Hills, where terrorists had put up posters telling people not to vote for Mr Sangma, when the blast killed them.
"We went to a village for campaigning and saw there were posters threatening the people not to vote for our candidate, so we wanted to talk to our supporters," said Benjamin Marak, who saw the IED explosion.
There is total shutdown in Williamnagar. Police sources said many terrorist groups are active in this area and any one of them could be behind the killing. The sources, however, said there could also be a political motive behind the killing.
"Since IED was used, we have to look at the terrorist angle, but we cannot rule out the fact that it may have a political angle as well," Meghalaya senior police officer SB Singh told NDTV on phone from Shillong.
Nationalist Congress Party has sought a probe into the death of its candidate Jonathane N Sangma in an IED blast in Meghalaya's Garo Hills
Residents of Williamnagar are worried. "The campaign was going normal. Now the incident has created fear among voters and candidates as well," said Mongkrak Momin, a resident.
"The election is only seven days away and the incident affects all candidates," said Debora C Marak, Williamnagar's Congress candidate.
As residents held a protest rally to condemn the killings, Home Minister Rajnath Singh while campaigning in the area attacked the Congress government.
"No law and order in Meghalaya. Where law and order is bad, there can't be development," Mr Singh said at a rally in Garo Hills today.
The Congress candidate from Williamnagar said the BJP's allegation is just election rhetoric. The number of incidents of terror violence in Meghalaya has fallen, according to police data.
There were 21 cases of terror attacks in 2017 as against 341 in 2014. In 2015, the number of cases was 310 and in 2016, it was 118.
"Senior police officers are camping there to bring back the confidence of voters. Security will be tightened," Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is himself monitoring the situation, sources said.