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Shillong, Oct. 6: The judicial inquiry commission, headed by Justice (retd) D. Biswas, examining May 31 Shillong jailbreak, has sought previous inquiry reports and additional documents from the Meghalaya government to proceed with the probe.

The first sitting of the inquiry commission was held today at the state secretariat.

The government on July 23 had notified the one-man judicial inquiry commission, led by Justice Biswas, to probe the jailbreak.

The five terms of reference of the inquiry include the reasons behind the jailbreak, circumstances which led to the death of gang leader Full Moon Dhar, circumstances leading to the arrest and subsequent release of Congress politician Thomas Nongdtu, an accused, the extent of politician-criminal nexus and other related matters.

Official sources said the inquiry commission today asked the government to provide all the relevant papers including newspaper clippings, besides the administrative inquiry report prepared by principal secretary, home, Barkose Warjri, for scrutiny.

Along with the administrative inquiry report, the government has to submit a separate note on the deposition of witnesses recorded by Warjri.

The judicial probe is the fourth one to be set up by the state government following the jailbreak on May 31. While the magisterial inquiry and the internal departmental probe found out the reasons behind the jailbreak, the third administrative inquiry examined why the Congress member of Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, Nongtdu, who funded the jailbreak, was released.

It also pointed out the lapses on the part of the police chief Anil Pradhan for Nongtdu’s release.

Moreover, the administrative inquiry report had also blamed Pradhan for directing the subordinate police officials to drop all charges against Nongtdu.

Though the last date for filing of affidavits ended yesterday, the inquiry commission has extended the date till October 12 to allow more persons to submit their memoranda before the commission.

So far two affidavits have been submitted to the commission.

While an affidavit was filed by the Steering Committee Against Murder of Democracy (SCAMoD), which had demanded a judicial probe into the jailbreak, another one was filed by Supreme Court lawyer K.T.S. Tulsion on behalf of the government.