KSU holds protest against govt’s failure to protect border population

This was announced during a sit-in-demonstration organized by the KSU as a mark of protest against the recent killing of a Khasi villager at Khlieh Umwang in Ri Bhoi District, held at the parking lot near the Additional Secretariat here on Wednesday.

Apart activists, people from the different border villages also participated at the protest even as they displayed placards accusing the Assam to be an “extremist” and also urging the Centre’s intervention to resolve the age-old boundary dispute between the two states.

A placard by the Sabuda Dorbar Shnong read, “We want justice upon the destroyer of our village schemes sanctioned by the Meghalaya: Assam government is extremist in our Raid Nongtung area”, “Delhi, Meghalaya, Assam see our problem” and “Raid Nongtung is not in Block II”.

Addressing at the meeting, KSU chief Lambok Starwell Marngar said, “We have decided to soon meet the chief minister of Assam to demand his government to respect the status quo and also to intervene into the harassment by Assam police against Khasi villagers.”

Also demanding the two states to immediately resolve the boundary dispute, Marngar said, “The chief ministers and chief secretaries of both the states should sit and resolve this issue once and for all.”

He said how many more chief ministers and state governments should come to ensure that the state finally get its well-defined boundary.

Asking the state government to provide deploy security forces in the border, the KSU chief said, “If you don’t have the manpower tell us we are ready to go to Block I and II and give protection to our people because how many more killings should we be made to witness. The state government will be responsible in case if law and order problem arises.”

Referring to violent protest on the Them Iew Mawlong issue earlier this year, Marngar said that the government was quick in deploying layers of security forces but it however failed to show the same sincerity when it comes to incidents happening at the border.

He further accused the Assam police of behaving like “militants” for their continued harassment and atrocities against the people living in the border.

On the other hand, the general secretary of the Union Donald V Thabah said that the union will further intensify its agitations to ensure that there is peace and tranquillity prevails in the border areas of the state.

“Today, we have decided to stage a peaceful protest but this is just the beginning the central executive committee of the union will sit to decide on our next course of action,” he said.

Thabah also asked the present state government to review the several memorandums submitted in the past and take steps to fulfill the demands which include deployment of security forces.

Earlier while speaking at the meeting, chief of Raid Nongtung Nomiwell Shadap expressed confidence that the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government will be more sensitive towards the border issue and the problems faced by the people.

“I have high hopes on this government and I request the chief minister Conrad K Sangma to help us by removing the Assam police battalion from Sabuda village, office of the forest department and roads constructed by the Assam government. Instead you (Sangma) should give us a police outpost and polling station in the same way you did by giving us ration card, community hall and others,” he said.

The seventy-nine-year-old chief also maintained that Raid Nongtung falls under Meghalaya even though the state government is fighting to ensure Block I and II are retransferred to Meghalaya.

President of the Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Raid Nongtung Bristar Sohtun asked the state government to refrain from politicizing the issue by waiting till it becomes yet another political agenda for the 2023 Assembly elections.

“If you (government) cannot resolve this issue then provide us with weapons so that we can defend and protect ourselves. We also made it clear that we do not want to go to Assam even if you tell us so,” he said.

Tyngshain Mukhim was assualted by one Romesh Thapa on September 9. He later succumbed to his injuries on September 12. Meanwhile, Thapa was also arrested by the Assam police despite an FIR on the matter was lodged with the Ri Bhoi police.

By Our Reporter