TURA: Undaunted by the series of arrests of their leaders and activists following the attack at the DC’s office in Tura, the Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC) has called for another round of ‘indefinite’ bandh on working days beginning on September 18.
GHSMC president, Nikman Ch Marak, issued a statement to the media on Sunday morning refusing to back down from their stand while announcing the fresh closures.
“Whether the police hunt or arrest us for the cause of genuine demand for Garoland and whether they release the arrested leaders or not, we will not refrain from the statehood demand,” the GHSMC leader stated.
He announced that the ‘indefinite’ bandh would have a relaxation period from 4 pm to 8 pm every evening while the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) would be exempted from the purview of the protest shutdown.
The GHSMC has also come down heavily on West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Pravin Bakshi, for his comment on booking the statehood activists under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA).
“I condemn the statement of the DC to book the arrested members of GHSMC under MPDA. If it is so why rapist police officers like Nurul Islam and SN Roy are not arrested yet? It is the partiality act of the government which is intolerable by the Garos,” claimed Nikman.
He questioned the action of the police to hunt down the students and said, “We have not committed any crime against anybody. Our demand for Garoland state is democratically approached and genuine. Then, why the police are hunting the innocent students and why the police themselves are provoking us to go for extreme to make our demand?”
He also said that the GHSMC is a committee of various NGOs which include the All India Garo Union, A’chik Students’ Welfare Association, All A’chik Youth Federation, GSU Eastern and Southern Zones, Mothers’ Union, Students’ Union of various Colleges, A’chik Youth Welfare Organization comprising of various units, and the Association of minority tribes.
