NONGPOH: Amid strong protests by over hundreds of people from across seven villages, CSWO (I) central body general secretary Christable Wanniang and nine others were on Tuesday remanded in judicial custody by the Ri Bhoi District Session Court here.
The CSWO (I) general secretary was arrested for allegedly instigating a mob to dismantle four houses at Wahswat village under Umiam police station.
The CSWO leader and nine others were whisked away by a police team to avoid any confrontation with the protestors and were shifted to Shillong District Jail in the evening.
Earlier in the day, the protestors staged a hunger strike outside the Deputy Commissioner’s Office demanding the unconditional release of Wanniang and others.
Wanniang and other arrested persons were booked U/S 147, 149, 447, 427, 506, 34 IPC following two FIRs lodged against them. Besides the victims CSWO (A) president Agnes Kharshiing also lodged a complaint against Wanniang.
The problem started when four houses located at Wahswat village under Raid Tynring were demolished by a group of persons numbering around 80 hailing from four villages, Lumdiengngan, Mawkdup, Wahmyntait and Kyrdem in the East Khasi Hills-Ri Bhoi border earlier in the month.
Wahswat is a community land under Raid Tynring. The villagers went to Wahswat village under Umiam police station and destroyed four houses belonging to Thyrmai Nongrum, Iohkynti Marboh, Shida Nongrum and Kjarsila Nongrum. The affected villagers told reporters that it was after the people of four villages lost the land dispute case that they resorted to violence.
However, talking to The Shillong Times on Tuesday Rangbah Shnong of Wahmyntait village Nowel Sumer alleged that the ongoing feud between the seven villages and the Raid Tynring is an outcome of the highhandedness of the latter.
“Thnowell Lawai (resident of Wahswat), who did not respect the authority of the Dorbar Shnong of Mawkduk granted permission to the four families to construct the house at Wahswat,” Sumer said adding that Wahswat is under the jurisdiction of Mawkduk village in which the Dorbar Shnong had summoned the four families thrice but they did not respond.
The Rangbah Shnong alleged that the Sordar of the Raid Tynring resorted to forcefully claiming that the seven villages fall under the Raid Tynring due to the upcoming payment of land acquisition for Shillong Bypass project.
Sumer maintained that the CSWO (I) leader was unnecessarily dragged into the controversy. “She did not instigate the mob but only counseled them to resolve the matter in a legal way,” he said.