Demand grows for Ampareen’s arrest
SHILLONG: In the wake of arrest of CSWO president and State activist Agnes Kharshiing by the East Khasi Hills police on Friday, there is a demand from several quarters to arrest former Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh and others for their alleged role in tampering the mark sheets of the eligible candidates.
The police are yet to act on an FIR filed by Kharshiing against Ampareen and others for their alleged role in the education scam.
Moreover, several complaints were also registered against many scams in Meghalaya including diversion of PDS items and those related to the ICDS projects, but in vain.
N o action was also taken on the scam related to the beautification of Police Bazar though RTI documents had revealed anomalies.
While condemning the arrest of Kharshiing, social activist Angela Rangad, in a statement issued here on Saturday, said, “The Government’s inaction to book those involved in the teachers’ appointment scam even when there exists documentary evidence in this regard is condemnable and an affront to constitutional guarantee of equality before the law.”
According to Rangad, the Government and police should act on the many FIRs lodged in regard to the teachers’ appointment scam, the land forgery scam and others rather that abuse their power in an attempt to silence dissent and destroy all democratic spaces in the State.
“In fact the action of the Government to invoke the MPDA on ILP agitators and arbitrarily invoking Supreme Court directives while breaking others orders such as directives on having fixed tenures for bureaucrats, ICDS and protection of the environment is deplorable,” Rangad said.
Rangad also criticized the action of the police and administration in arbitrarily arresting Kharshiing on ‘fabricated charges’ just because she was present on the spot and showed solidarity with the villagers of Mawlong Mawtari and Umsawli when their houses were being demolished by public servants who were abusing their powers on behalf of the land mafia.
According to Rangad, this action is nothing but an attempt by the Government and the land mafia to suppress any attempts of asking questions and bringing to light large scale illegal deals and land grabs. “It is also reflective of the situation where Meghalaya is turning into a police state that clamps down on any form of dissent,” she added.
Chairman of Meghalaya Right to Information Movement Michael Syiem has condemned the arrest of Kharshiing who is fighting for the cause of the local villagers.
“The Government is evicting the villagers from their own land. But the Government is not taking any action against the encroachers at Polo which is really sad,” Syiem said.
He argued that if innocent citizens can be arrested, then all high profile politicians and bureaucrats who have swindled public money should also be arrested.
“The law should be the same for everyone,” Syiem said.
He also said that the Urban Affairs Minister (Ampareen) had been named by the CBI when she was holding the Education portfolio for tampering with the score sheets in the appointment of the school teachers in Government Lower Primary Schools.
“The Urban Affairs Minister should also be booked as per the law,” Syiem said.