Fiery start to agitation against sacking of Lokayukta officials
SHILLONG, Jan 19: The Voice of the People Party’s (VPP) protest against the state government’s refusal to reinstate the sacked Lokayukta officials got off to a fiery start on Friday when the MLAs engaged in physical altercations with a wall of police officers obstructing their path towards the State Secretariat.
As previously announced, the VPP intended to stage the demonstration in front of the Secretariat, but they were stopped from doing so and were forced to wait for additional guidance from the district administration on the sidewalk across from the DC’s office.
The VPP leaders waited for hours on the sidewalk in front of the DC’s office, but the police on duty stopped them when they attempted to push their way through after they failed to receive a response from the district administration.
Earlier, the police and the VPP members, whose numbers had increased from those gathered during the morning, got into heated arguments, and this caused some tensions as other members also jumped in to ask the police not to manhandle the MLAs.
VPP’s Mawlai MLA, Brightstarwell Marbaniang, party’s North Shillong MLA, Adelbert Nongrum and Mawryngkneng MLA, Heaving Stone Kharpran demanded that at least the three elected representatives be permitted to move towards the Secretariat, with the remaining members waiting outside the DC office. The plea was turned down.
Marbaniang later told reporters that the protests would not end until the state government corrected its mistakes and the three Lokayukta officials were reinstated.
Speaking of the skirmish, he said that the district administration forbade the three elected representatives from even attempting to move to the Secretariat.
“This sends a message that the state government is autocratic and denies the elected representatives even the chance to exercise their democratic rights,” Marbaniang said.
VPP general secretary Ricky AJ Syngkon claimed that the party started the agitation because of the government’s decision to remove three Lokayukta officials, which is unconstitutional and unethical.
“As a party, we vow to combat corruption and right wrongs. This is only the beginning and the protest would go on until our demand to have the officials reinstated is fulfilled,” he asserted.
The State Congress on Friday extended full support to the VPP’s demand for the reinstatement of the fired Lokayukta.
“In matters pertaining to the state’s interests, we shall consistently support any political party or collective that strives for equity. We are talking about justice here,” Leader of Opposition, Ronnie V Lyngdoh said.
The Congress’s support to the VPP becomes significant because it’s one of the first times a state opposition party has offered assistance to another.
He emphasised that the Lokayukta was established during the Congress rule to guarantee openness and the rule of law, and that the precise rationale for the officials’ dismissal must be ascertained; if no justification is offered, they must be reinstated.