SHILLONG: It will be three months on Tuesday, December 2, since unrest broke out in the form of pro-ILP agitations in the State. A solution to the imbroglio still seems a distant affair with neither the government nor the pro-ILP groups willing to budge from their respective stands.
The decision of the pressure-groups to intensify the agitation undoubtedly predicts a prolonged period of unrest in Meghalaya which has seen as many as 121 cases registered and 87 pro-ILP activists arrested –three under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA)– during the agitations in the last three months.
Loss of property worth Rs 50 crore
The three months of continued unrest also resulted in an estimated loss of property (both public and private) worth Rs 50 crore which includes the Rs 21 crore loss incurred by BSNL due to the destruction of its stockyard.
Two people also lost their lives in the violent incidents in East Khasi Hills district which recorded as many as 86 cases registered and over 71 people arrested so far. Two NGO leaders were also booked under the MPDA. Ri Bhoi district followed with 15 cases registered and 12 arrests made.
According to East Khasi Hills District police chief, M Kharkrang, out of the 86 cases registered, 15 have been charge-sheeted and 15 more are expected to be charge sheeted on Tuesday. Kharkrang believed that investigation into most of the cases will be completed by the end of December.
The SP informed that out of the 86 people arrested, almost 60 per cent have been released on bail except for those allegedly involved in the Motphran arson case which cost the life of a young businessman, Vikash Nandwal.
NGO leaders ignore summon orders
The district police chief also mentioned that the investigating officers of the 86 cases had issued a summon order under section 41 of IPC to leaders of as many as 10 NGOs including the president and secretary of prominent pressure groups like the KSU and the FKJGP.
“Summons were issued 9-10 days back by the different IOs but so far, none of the NGO leaders have come forward,” Kharkrang said adding that some of the summon periods have already expired.
When asked if the police will issue an arrest warrant following the failure of the leaders to comply with the summon orders, Kharkrang said, “We’ll see if we need to issue an arrest warrant. As of now, we are building evidences against the leaders and will immediately charge sheet the cases to pursue to the next step-arrest.”
Elaborating more, EKH SP City Vivek Syiem said, “We are not looking at the perpetrators per se, but for people who have been instrumental in inciting and instigating various criminal activities.”
Meanwhile, among other districts, West Khasi Hills saw eight cases being registered and two arrests were made, including one under MPDA.
In West Jaintia Hills, seven cases were registered with two arrests, while two cases each have been registered each in South West Khasi Hills and East Jaintia Hills with no arrests being made. A lone case was registered in West Garo Hills where no arrest was made while no cases were registered in East, South, North and South West Garo Hills.