SHILLONG, Dec 29: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Council (HITO) will be holding a peaceful procession from Motphran at 11 am on Friday.
The procession along GS Road will culminate at State Central Library.
A senior official said permission was not granted to HITO to carry out the procession although it had intimated the district administration about it’s plan.
HITO president Donbok Dkhar said the procession was conceived to “uphold our self-respect and proud history” while commemorating the 160th death anniversary of the legendary U Kiang Nangbah.
The idea behind the procession was also to open the eyes of Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad who had ridiculed the traditional Khasi attire that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had donned during his visit to Shillong on December 18.
Azad’s comment was an insult to both the Prime Minister and the Khasi community, Dkhar had said. “People who take part in the procession have been urged to wear their traditional dresses for the world to see the grandeur,” he said.
The HITO president also called up all the residents of Meghalaya, inclusive of the indigenous and the ‘raiot’ (people born and brought up in this land cutting across community, caste or creed), to take part.
He assured that there will be no disruption of trade and commerce in the city and that all shops and business establishments can ply their trade without any fear.
“This will be a purely democratic and progressive way of displaying our solidarity and universal pride about our rich heritage that has earned the respect and love of millions of people across the world,” he said.
