GUWAHATI: Former home minister, RG Lyngdoh has termed the trend of “mercenary agitators” as dangerous, a development unprecedented in Shillong and alien to Meghalaya.
“For the first time we had seen mercenary agitators who had come from to Shillong from outside. They were supported by someone and asked to agitate at a price, which is a very dangerous trend,” Lyngdoh told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
“But thankfully, things are returning to normal and we are keeping our fingers crossed it remains that way,” he said.
Alleging that a section with vested interests had taken the scuffle on the road to a different level altogether, the former minister said there was never any conflict between two communities as some had wrongly projected.
“This was just a scuffle between some ladies from Punjabi Lane and some persons in a bus. There was apparently a compromise between the two parties at the police station thereafter. But unfortunately, it has been taken to a different level altogether,” Lyngdoh said.
Asked whether he would blame the administration for its “failure” to get a grip on things, he said, “I wouldn’t term it an administrative failure but just that the administration has been a little soft. Curfew was declared but not imposed, allowing protesters to come out in the street.”
Television footage had shown masked people believed to be agitators by the side of the road during an Army flag march in the city.
A day after the situation worsened, some were seen throwing stones at the security forces, leaving many to wonder as to how they could have access to stones and broken concrete matter.
“They had gone berserk, breaking pavements and property and pelting the broken particles at security personnel,” Lyngdoh said.
