Factions spar over non-cooperation protest in GH
TURA: A two day protest call given by a conglomerate of student and social organisations to demand action against police personnel who opened fire on a civilian vehicle resulting in injury to three persons at Resubelpara town has ended in disunity with one group opposing the ‘Non-Cooperation movement’ while another has decided to go ahead with the closure that begins on Wednesday.
Garo Hills organisations under the aegis of Solidarity Forum have been demanding transfer of the North Garo Hills police chief and termination of service of the personnel involved in the firing incident.
The forum had organised two nights of road blockade last week even as the government had quickly placed under suspension the services of two police commandos who opened fire on the civilian vehicle.
The decision by the forum to announce two days of dawn to dusk non-cooperation movement protest this Thursday and Friday has not gone down well with one group of student organisations led by the central executive committee of the Garo Students’ Union.
The GSU, CEC in Tura along with its allies the FKJGP, Association for Development and Empowerment (ADE), A’chik youth Welfare Organisation (AYWO) and Federation for A’chik Freedom (FAF) have distanced themselves from the two-day 5 am to 5 pm protest citing the ongoing college examinations and nearing of the financial year on March 31.
“The March 19 meeting among the organisations had decided there would be no NCM during the ongoing examinations but suddenly the Solidarity Forum announced it without informing us. We will not be part of the protest,” GSU CEC president Tengsak G Momin had stated in a communiqué.However, the rival groups led by the Interim body of the GSU and its zonal units together with the Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC), A’chik Students’ Welfare Association (ASWA), All A’chik Youth Federation (AAYF) and the A’chik Youth Council (AYC) have announced that they are going ahead with the two day protest.
“The GSU CEC took part in the public meeting called by the Solidarity Forum at Resubelpara lending their support to the forum in its struggle for justice for the victims. Now they have suddenly had a change of heart and distanced themselves. This is not going to deter us as we are going ahead with the NCM,” informed GHSMC leader Nikman Marak.
Terming the move by Tengsak led faction as a ‘betrayal’ of the public sentiment, angry student members burnt the effigy of the GSU chief in full public view at Resubelpara as well as Williamnagar town on Wednesday afternoon.