Meghalaya CM's cousin goes missing, wife names NPP leaders in

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's cousin and Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) member Boston Marak has been allegedly kidnapped from his residence in Tura district and his whereabouts were not currently known, police said on Thursday.

Marak's wife has claimed that NPP MLA Benedict Marak, also member of the GHADC, kidnapped him on Tuesday, a day before the Meghalaya High Court ordered a floor test for the ruling party to prove its majority in the 30-member council, West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police MGR Kumar said.

Apart from Benedict, she has also named another council member, Sengnal Sangma, in her police complaint.

Dikchelisa M Sangma said the two accused had visited her husband on Tuesday evening, and all three of them left home around midnight.

She also said that her husband, a Congress leader, had called her the next morning to say he had to leave for Shillong to attend to a pending matter.

Since then he went untraceable, she added.

Kumar said an investigation has been initiated and more details would be available in a short while.

"We are verifying whether the act is cognizable... As the case is very sensitive, we will act only after verifying every detail," Kumar explained.

The NPP, however, denied the allegation and said its members were not involved in any such case.

"I am not aware of any such incident. There was no such order issued (to kidnap any one)," National People's Party (NPP) state president W Kharlukhi said.

The GHADC floor test, which was scheduled on Thursday as per the high court order, has been stayed by the Supreme Court, taking cognizance of a plea moved by the ruling NPP.

In the last session of the district council, held in December, a no-confidence motion tabled against the NPP-led executive committee got stalled after its members staged a walkout, apparently for not having adequate numbers.