HDR holds high-level meeting , Road blockade begins tonight
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The official vehicle of the State Assembly Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai was torched and many shops were ransacked allegedly by NGO activists as their protest against ‘enrollment of doubtful voters’ in the State entered the second day on Tuesday.
Some members of the agitating NGOs set on fire Shullai’s vehicle which was parked near the KSU’s central body office at Jaiaw.
The Deputy Speaker was not in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
Sources informed that Shullai’s driver Balajied Muktieh and his personal security officer (PSO) Rio Phalangki had in fact gone to Jaiaw Shyiap to deliver a letter.
According to sources, the PSO told the driver to wait in the vehicle and went to deliver the letter.
After sometime, sources said that two youths emerged and asked the driver to step out of the vehicle.
The duo then took the vehicle near KSU office. The driver managed to flee after being assaulted. The two youths poured petrol on the vehicle and set it on fire.
A senior police official said that no one has been arrested in this connection while adding that the police are on a hunt to trace the perpetrators involved in the torching of the vehicle.
Police informed that Shullai has filed an FIR in this connection.
The NGO activists had also burnt two vehicles — a government vehicle and a truck — in the city on Monday.
Meanwhile, a group of miscreants tried to lob a petrol bomb at Narsing Akra on Tuesday afternoon but was averted due to intervention of local youth of Qualapaty who chased away the miscreants.
Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh held an emergency meeting with senior officials of the Home department on Tuesday to take stock of the law and order situation in view of the untoward incidents which took place in various parts of the city since Monday evening.
The Home Minister also wanted to know on the security arrangement which are being put place by the district administrations in the four districts of Khasi and Jaintia Hills in view of the road blockade called by the NGOs from Wednesday night.
During the meeting, DGP N Ramachandran told Lyngdoh that the security arrangements have been fully geared up and any attempt to disturb peace and order shall be dealt with very firmly.
Meanwhile, the Home Minister also sought a clarification from the officials of the Election department whether the enrollment of eligible voters is presently being carried out strictly in accordance with the statutory provisions and the guidelines/instructions issued by the Election Commission,
The Election department officials clarified that the continuous enrollment of eligible voters are being carried as per the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission.
It was also clarified that the statute provides for filing objections against inclusion of ineligible voters, and if the objection is established, the names could then also be deleted from the electoral rolls.
Following the clarification of the Election Officials, the Home Minister appealed to the NGOs to take recourse to the avenues provided under the law and not to resort to agitation as this causes immense hardship to the general public.
Meanwhile, KSU vice president Frederick Kharmawphlang has informed that the agitating NGOs have decided to relax the duration of the night blockade by one hour following a request from religious bodies.
The fresh timing for the night road blockade said the KSU vice president would now be effective from 9 pm to 5 am on Wednesday and Thursday.
The NGOs had earlier fixed the timing of the road blockade from 8 pm to 5 am.