SHILLONG, Nov 26: The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO), an umbrella body of various pressure groups pushing for implementation of inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state, has decided to intensify its stir by calling a black flag protest on Friday and sit-in protests in the state capital and all district headquarters on December 4 over the Centre’s delay in implementing their genuine demand.
“We are unhappy with the way the central government has been treating us. While other Northeastern states have got ILP why is there a step-motherly treatment towards Meghalaya?
We will carry out black flag protest and our members in all district headquarters will be putting up black flags,” said CoMSO secretary, Roy Kupar Synrem.
Synrem recalled that it was almost a year back that the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly had passed the resolution on ILP but the central government was not viewing the matter seriously.
Admitting that it would not be wise to go for a massive protest in view of the current COVID-19 situation, Synrem said that the black flag protest and the sit-in would lead to a series of agitations.
Synrem also cautioned the state government that if the ILP is not implemented in the next few months it would have to deal with heightened protests in the state since all pressure groups in the state have been demanding the same.
It may be mentioned that the demand for the implementation of the ILP has gained momentum yet again and while the state government has, time and again, reached out to the Centre to give its nod to ILP there has been no assurance whatsoever from the Union government in this regard.
