Chief condemns police action at Bekwai

Bekwai (Ash), May 14, GNA - Nana Karikari Appau, Paramount Chief of Bekwai Traditional Area, has appealed to the Police administration to conduct thorough investigations into the circumstances that led to the indiscriminate firing of tear gas by some police personnel at Bekwai on Wednesday that resulted in injury to several people. He described the action of the police as unfair, unprofessional and infringement on the right of the people since there was no tangible cause for their action.

Nana Karikari Appau said this at an emergency meeting of the Bekwai Traditional Council at Bekwai.

The meeting was necessitated by the clash between the police and some youth of the town who threatened to go on a demonstration to register their displeasure at the re-election of Mr. Kofi Opoku Adusei, NPP Member of Parliament for Bekwai, last Saturday. Demonstrators, who accused the MP of not living up to expectation, ran helter-skelter when police fired several warning shots to disperse them resulting in a number of them sustaining injuries. Nana Karikari Appau said it was quite unfortunate that whereas the police could have adopted a more professional strategy in dispersing the crowd, they became more offensive in their actions. "It is very pathetic that many innocent children had to seek refuge in my palace as they could not withstand the intensity of the tear gas thrown at them by the police," he said. Nana Karikari Appau appealed to his people to exercise restraint for peace to prevail in the area and expressed the hope that the Police Administration would investigate the incident.