SHILLONG, July 16: The Meghalaya Police are increasingly summoning the leaders of pressure groups.
After several leaders of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) were summoned for their ongoing drive to check the work permit of migrant workers, the police on Tuesday summoned some leaders of the Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) for their recent drive to check trading licenses in Demseiniong and Nongmensong areas.
FKJGP chief organiser Khrawkupar Nongsiej was among those from the federation who were summoned at the Nongmensong police outpost.
Annoyed by the police action, FKJGP president Dundee Cliff Khongsit said the police are apparently not respecting other government agencies since they had checked trading licenses in the presence of officials from Labour department, Commissionerate of Food and Safety besides Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.
“We did not bypass the authorities concerned before going ahead with the checking of trading licenses. We did expect the police and the government to harass the members of the federation since our effort is to check illegal immigrants who are operating their businesses without trading licenses,” Khongsit said.
He said they are not against the migrant workers.
According to him, the workers are free to come and work in Meghalaya provided they have the work permit from the Labour department and other relevant documents to prove their identity.
He pointed out that the state implemented the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 in 2011 which makes it mandatory for the migrant workers to obtain the work permit.
Khongsit said the FKJGP will continue with the drive to check the work permit of the migrant workers in different districts.
He said they cannot remain as mute spectators if the state government fails to firmly deal with the migrant workers who did not obtain work permit.
“We have to do something before it is too late,” he said.
KSU Shillong Mihngi Circle member Colford Khyriem questioned the police for not summoning the contractors who were responsible for bringing the migrant workers but without ensuring that they obtained the work permit.
Khyriem was summoned along with six other members of the circle at Sadar police station on Tuesday.
He expressed surprise that the Labour department is not taking action against the contractors who failed to comply with the provisions of the Act.
He said the Labour Inspectors should not have allowed the contractors to engage migrant workers who do not possess work permit. He lamented that the police are summoning the KSU leaders although they are trying to help the government to implement the Act.
The KSU leader alleged that the contractors violated the provisions of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 and the Meghalaya Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1985, (Amendment) Rules, 1999 and (Amendment) Rules, 2011 by employing workers without work permit.
Khyriem said he was not surprised that the police were summoning the members of the student’s body.
“We have always witnessed that whenever there is any issue, the KSU members become a scapegoat. We understand that the police are trying to demoralize our members by summoning them,” he said.
The KSU members of the Shillong Mihngi Circle, who were summoned by the police, include Khrawbok Kharkongor, Alquis Kharbani, Bajop Tongkhar, Teral Khyriem, Vicky Thabah and Kynpham Marbaniang.
