By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 22: The HYC on Tuesday met Director-General of Police, LR Bishnoi and drew his attention to three pertinent issues — security of the border residents, strengthening of the anti-infiltration branch and strengthen the strategy to deal with the menace of drugs.
The HYC submitted a memorandum to the DGP highlighting these three issues.
Speaking to reporters later, HYC general secretary Roy Kupar Synrem said they urged the DGP to increase deployment of forces along the villages in the interstate border with Assam so as to infuse a sense of security among the locals especially at a time when the dialogue between the two states for a resolution to the decades-old problem are set to resume.
Referring to the recent threat issued by some groups based in Karbi Anglong that a “Manipur-like situation” could occur if the Khasi-Pnar community residing in the border villages chose to be part of Meghalaya, Synrem argued that increasing the strength of the police personnel in the border areas has become all the more necessary.
“We have also urged the DGP to strengthen the manpower into the border police outposts,” Synrem said while adding that people should be able to decide whether to be in Meghalaya or Assam without any fear or coercion.
Admitting that the DGP had mentioned about constraints in the form of manpower, the HYC general secretary said they urged the former to ensure that check posts manned by police personnel from the anti-infiltration unit should be directed to perform their duties as mandated by the law.
Synrem said that DGP told them that there are about 19 anti-infiltration check gates across the state and there is shortage of personnel to man these check points.
“We were told that about 1,000 police personnel have been recruited and they are undergoing training which will be completed in the next few months,” he said.
Speaking on the menace of drugs, the HYC general secretary said they urged the DGP to take all possible steps to ensure that drugs from outside the state are not allowed to reach their designated destination.
The HYC also lauded the state police for fighting an effective battle against drugs.