SHILLONG, Jan 24: A day after a city-based couple staged a sit-in protest against alleged hate crimes in the state, NCP state president Saleng Sangma asked people not to politicise the issue.
Sangma said he does not mind anyone protesting against atrocities on the weaker sections but blaming an entire community over an issue is not fair.
“I did not see the GNLA killing many non-tribals. It mostly attacked the tribals,” Sangma told reporters on Monday.
There are black sheep in every community and just for the actions of one or two, the entire community should not be blamed, he said.
Majority of the shops in Police Bazar and Iewduh are run by non-tribals, he said alluding to the sense of security. If somebody does not feel safe in Meghalaya, “it is his choice”, the NCP state chief said.
Stating that most non-tribals reside in a “free and fair atmosphere” in the state, he said Sunday’s protest gave a different picture to the world about the entire community and the state.
He said most of the officers in the state, including the chairman of the State Planning Board, are non-tribals. He said the indigenous tribals are peace-loving citizens and not head hunters anymore.
Sangma claimed the government takes action whenever somebody does anything wrong.
KHADC CEM expresses concern over sit-in
KHADC CEM, Titosstarwell Chyne on Monday also expressed concern over the sit-in by the Choudhury couple at Khyndailad on Sunday saying they were trying to give a communal colour to the recent incident at Lumdiengjri where three persons were injured after being attacked by masked miscreants. Talking to reporters, Chyne feared that the protest may lead to communal clashes in future.
“It is not right to blame any community. If this is the case then even the Khasi population should protest against the assaults of local youths at Golf Links, Them Bijoy and even Ichamati,” he said.
According to him, the protest by the two couples will not be taken in the right spirit by the citizens of the state. “We are against any attack on innocent people. Such incidents take place since there are miscreants who want to create a law-and-order problem. But we cannot blame any particular community for an act committed by a group or individual with criminal intent,” the CEM said, while urging the police to arrest those behind the Lumdiengjri attack.
SK Choudhury and his wife Kalpana had staged a six-hour protest at Khyndai Lad near old Meghalaya Legislative Assembly gate on Sunday against the alleged atrocities committed against non-tribals in the state.