Sunyani, Sept. 18, GNA- The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Nana Owusu Nsiah, has ordered the interdiction of seven policemen involved in the clash between the police and some students of Sunyani Polytechnic on June 22 this year.
Three students sustained gunshot wounds during the clash. The police personnel are Inspector R.O. Acheampong, Sergeant Annor Boadi, Corporal J.K. Nkrumah, Corporal Offei Okai, Constable Michael Ofori, Constable Eric Dzordor and Constable James K. Tawiah.
Three others, Sergeant Clement Ali, Sergeant L.O. Bempah and Constable Emmanuel Kudahor, who were also involved in the incident have been given warning letters to perform their duties professionally. A police source told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday that a wireless message dated September 10, from the Police Administration in Accra to the Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Headquarters stated that "Service enquiry should be held into the conduct of the seven policemen for their roles in the student demonstration in Sunyani."
The source added that they were told that a departmental disciplinary action will be taken against the seven affected policemen after they have appeared before a police departmental disciplinary committee.
It will be recalled that the clash between the police and the students followed the knocking down of Mark Yaw Mensah, a final year student of the polytechnic by a bus near the College of Renewal Natural Resource at Fiapre near Sunyani.
The student later died.
The deceased was among a number of final-year students who were returning to the campus after attending a function at a restaurant at Fiapre.
The following day police besieged the campus of the Polytechnic and fired warning shots to disperse a section of the students who had barricaded the Sunyani-Kumasi trunk road in front of the school and were harassing drivers and passengers.
The policemen entered the main campus of the school and the students' hostels and brutalized students and destroyed property. The glass door and windows of the polytechnic's reception were broken while the personal belongings of some of the students were destroyed in their hostels.
Thirty-three students including six girls were arrested in connection with the disturbances and were granted police enquiry bail pending investigations.
