NONGPOH, Nov 30: After an altercation which recently took place between two local groups in Ri Bhoi during the demonstration over ILP, members of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front Northern Region (HNYF-NR) have condemned the alleged assault of its president, Marcus Marten, by the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) members.
Marten is also the president of the Nongpoh Region Auto Owners & Driver Association (NRAO&DA).
In a statement on Monday, the HNYF-NR members said that HYC is an “immature” organisation and termed the alleged assault on its president as a “childish and cowardly” act.
Clarifying on the allegations that Marcus was against ILP and in favour of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), HNYF-NR members said that the organisation and its president have always been against CAA and will continue to oppose it, adding that they will continue to fight for ILP implementation in Meghalaya alongside other pressure groups.
“The allegation of HYC against our president is baseless. It is just an act to cover up their failures and get sympathy of the people of the state,” the HNYF-NR said in a statement.
It may be recalled that on November 27, members of the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) put up black flags in various parts of the state including Nongpoh as part of its protest over ILP.
However, the move to put black flags on auto rickshaws plying in Nongpoh area did not go so well with the leaders of the NRAO&DA, who said that they were not informed about putting up the flags. They asserted that putting black flags on their auto rickshaws will have a negative impact as experienced earlier.
Later, members of the HYC got engaged in an altercation with the NRAO&DA leaders, and allegedly assaulted Marcus Marten. An FIR was lodged by the NRAO&DA at Nongpoh Police Station, which also mentioned in it the names of some HYC Ri Bhoi members.