SHILLONG, Jan 31: Political leaders and parties condemned the IED blast at Police Bazar on Sunday, calling it an attack on peace, and minced no words in decrying the NPP-led MDA Government’s failure to maintain law and order in the state.
Opposition leader, Mukul Sangma said he was disturbed on hearing about the IED blast at Shillong that can not only upset the peace they had restored but also retard development.
“Everybody should join in condemning this act of cowardice. Government must act and restore their focus,” he said.
“A blast at the heart of d (the) state capital is very dangerous – what is happening Mr@SangmaConrad? Didn’t we handover a peaceful state in 2018? Have you shunted out all d (the) dedicated, efficient police officers at d (the) cost of people’s interest,” the former chief minister tweeted.
The All India Trinamool Congress also slammed Chief Minister Conrad Sangma saying the explosion at Police Bazar in Shillong is “dangerous”.
“THREE security lapses have taken place in the last 6 months disrupting peace and harmony in the state! Is this how you are ensuring everyone’s safety,” AITC Meghalaya tweeted.
AITC state president, Charles Pyngrope tweeted: “People of Meghalaya are not safe under Conrad Sangma’s watch! Explosion at Police Bazar, a prime market hub in Shillong on a Sunday evening, has rattled the capital. I strongly condemn the state government’s inability to ensure the safety and security of our state.” Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh also condemned the act of terror committed in Shillong. She said that the Meghalaya government has failed to prevent yet another IED explosion and it needs to act swiftly against such acts of cowardice.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Banteidor Lyngdoh urged the CM to take measures to ensure that bomb blasts do not take place again.
“The investigation of such incidents should not end only with the arrest of those who are involved in planting the IED. The police should ensure that this kind of incident does not occur again,” Lyngdoh said on Monday, while adding that he had spoken with the CM after the blast.
He also revealed that he has requested the CM to conduct a detailed discussion on the law-and-order situation in the state.
“It is really fortunate that no one was injured in the IED blast yesterday. My only fear is that people should not lose their life in such incidents,” he said, adding, “It is matter of concern as these blasts are taking place in the commercial hubs.”
Former Home Minister, Robert G Lyngdoh said that the bomb blast at Khyndai Lad was an attempt to instill fear among the traders.
“This is a tactic used before by militants to bully soft targets. The next step will be to send extortion notes with the threat that the next blast will be targeted at individuals. However, paying these militants will be like ‘feeding tiger cubs who will turn into man eaters tomorrow’. The business community should not make any payments to the HNLC,” Lyngdoh said.
He suggested that they should invest the money instead in installing hidden CCTVs in an around their establishments and residences so that the potential perpetrators can be identified. “Society should also come out as one community to help each other. If we do not stand together to fight these anti-social elements we will all be victimised,” he said.
The former Home Minister asked the government to identify the reasons leading to the frustration among the youth. “These reasons should then be addressed and the youth should see that concrete steps are being taken to ensure they have a secure future. Legislators and bureaucrats should join hands to tackle the problems faced by the rural and urban youth. The educated and skilled youth should also be roped in to strategise and find viable short- and long-term solutions,” he added.
KHNAM’s Adelbert Nongrum, who is also the local MLA, inspected the blast site on Monday and urged the police to strengthen its intelligence network to prevent such terror activities in the commercial hub of the town.
Terming the IED blast incident as an act of cowardice, Nongrum urged citizens to condemn these kinds of incidents which can lead to disruption of peace and harmony.
“I would urge the state government to do its duty to nab the people responsible for this terror incident,” he added.
NCP state president Saleng Sangma has asserted that the IED blast in the heart of the city indicates security lapse and the government has to be serious against such repeated incidents.
Condemning the blast, he said that an incident of this magnitude happening right in the heart of the city is quite alarming for everybody.
“I think these incidents should not be taken for granted,” Sangma said while adding that the incident only points to security lapse.
“Carrying a bomb into the middle of the market is not a joke. Similar incidents have happened so many times. The government has to rethink its security arrangements,” he said.
Sangma, who is also the Chairman of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation, lamented that such incidents would reduce the flow of tourists to Shillong and would have detrimental effects on the tourism sector which provides employment to many unemployed youths.