SHILLONG, June 5: Police on Tuesday arrested Hynniewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM) president, Louis Dohtdong for distributing over 100 traditional bows and 1,000 arrows among the residents of Mukroh village in the disputed areas in Block-I under West Jaintia Hills “to protect them from high-handedness and atrocities of the Karbi militants”.
He said he had already informed the police that these weapons were distributed in July last year.
The police registered a suo motu case against Dohtdong and booked him under various sections of the IPC. He was charged, among others, with attempting to cause communal violence. His statement was also recorded.
“The Khasi-Pnar population would need to protect themselves if the state government is not able to take steps to protect them by setting up a police outpost,” Dohtdong told reporters after he was summoned at the Lumdiengjri police station.
The police summoned him for his remarks during the protest against the Mukroh firing incident in November last year where he had termed the Secretariat as a “den of thieves” and also for threatening to float a militant group in Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
Stating that he is not encouraging people to use guns, the HNYM president said people will need to protect themselves in case the government fails to do its duty of protecting them from the Karbi militants.
“If the state government fails to protect the people at the border area, it is our bounden duty to protect our people,” he said.
He said he had made the “Secretariat is a den of thieves” remarks after witnessing wasteful expenditure of public money by the state government.
He said the government is wasting a lot of money by deciding to appoint over 60 private consultants. This is unnecessary, he said.
Dohtdong lambasted the government for allegedly patronising politicians, including former MLAs who were defeated in the Assembly elections, by appointing them as chairmen and co-chairmen of various boards and corporations.
“I want to ask if this is not misuse of public funds,” Dohtdong said.
He asked why he should reveal if there is a move to float a militant group.
“If the government fails to protect the local population residing along the interstate border, then we are ready to take any extreme steps,” he reiterated.
