SHILLONG: The Khasi Students’ Union has termed the ongoing violence as “public revolution” and said peace will return only after the Harijan colony is shifted.
“From the beginning our stand was very clear, to remove the residents and if the government has the commitment to do so, when will it do so? It has been a long pending issue and for now the voice of the people is to remove them from their current residence,” KSU president Lambok Marngar told The Shillong Times.
“The public have finally given vent to their long-pending anguish and we cannot blame anyone. It is not the voice of any organisation but a public revolution,” he added.
When asked about the arson in different parts of the city, Marngar said fingers cannot be pointed at anyone. Normalcy will resume after the government removes them from their place immediately otherwise it will become harder to untie the knots, he added.
With the arrest of one person for assaulting the Khasi boys, Marngar pointed out that it was a failure and “I believe that the Police Department should take the matter seriously and book them under certain sections of the law”. Marngar also accepted the reports that people from West Khasi Hills are involved in creating unrest.
Meanwhile, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council echoed KSU’s demand for fast solution.
HYC president Robert Kharjahrin welcomed the decision of the government to study the report on rehabilitation of the residents.
“We welcome the decision of the government to study the report but to speed up in a week or two otherwise it will not bring normalcy to Shillong,” he said.
Stating that houses are already prepared for the Harijans, Kharjahrin added that illegal immigrants are in large numbers in comparison to the sweepers who are employees of Shillong Municipal Board.
BJP youth wing supports ‘shifting’ demand
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Meghalaya Pradesh extended their support to the demands of the tribals to shift the residents of Punjabi Lane from the present residence.
In a statement issued here, president of BJYM Egenstar Kurkalang maintained that the Punjabi Lane is a commercial area in Khasi Hills and the state government should take a decision on shifting the residents to bring in peace and harmony.
He went on to allege that it is not the first time that the residents of Punjabi Lane showed their high-handedness towards the tribals.
