SHILLONG: The displaced villagers from Mawlong and Umsawli and various people’s groups have appealed to the Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court to take suo-moto action to restore the constitutional guarantee and human rights of all persons whose rights have been violated by ‘arbitrary and illegal’ actions of MUDA and the district administration with sanction of the Government last Friday.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, the people’s groups while extending support to the cause of displaced people said that an appeal in this regard has been sent to the office of the Chief Justice.
They made the appeal particularly in the light of the recent Supreme Court’s suo-moto order in the Campa Cola Housing Society case in Mumbai stopping the demolitions.
In the Campa Cola case, the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) had entered the Campa Cola compound in South Mumbai to demolish illegal flats.
The people’s groups demanded the immediate arrest of officials including MUDA functionary T Lyngwa and magistrate DM Wahlang, who supervised the ‘illegal demolitions and evictions’ without prior notice and under whose close watch villagers including women were also manhandled by male police.
A case has already been registered against these officials under the same sections under which CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing has been charged, following FIRs filed by Kharshiing and a resident of Umsawli on the day of demolitions.
The villagers and people’s groups have decided to continue with their protests till justice is met.
Earlier on Wednesday, the residents of Umsawli area staged another demonstration at Don Bosco Square, Laitumkhrah in protest against the lackadaisical attitude of the government in resolving the controversial issue of Umsawli under New Shillong Township (NST).
The protest had began on Monday when the affected families of Umsawli area gathered at General’s point to voice out their grievances and challenged the government to book them if they were found to be illegal settlers of the area as MUDA had claimed.
The protestors again gathered at Khyndai Lad on Tuesday coming out in large numbers to demand redressal of their grievances by the government.