Citizens’ forum demands CEO action against cop

Shillong: The organiser of a citizens’ forum in Mawsynram has complained to the chief electoral officer after local police denied permission to hold a common platform even after providing documents.
Organiser Banshai Marbaniang said the forum got permission for the February 23 meeting from the returning officer a week before.
A day before the meeting, the assistant OC at Mawsynram police station asked them to apply for no-objection from him. The OC was out of station.
On February 22 night, when “barely 10 hours (is) left for the programme”, the forum got a call allegedly from the OC who asked it not to go ahead with the meeting.
“Next day, we approached the police station and met with the officer-in charge who then informed us that we cannot hold the programme at the said venue and that we should relocate it… about 500 meters away from the venue,” Marbaniang said.
Alleging that it was “violation of the permission granted to them”, Marbaniang added that later, they were cited traffic congestion as the reason for not allowing the meeting. The forum has asked the CEO to take action against the police officer.