By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 20: The Khasi Students’ Union, on its 47th anniversary, has renewed its commitment to safeguarding the rights of the indigenous people in Meghalaya and has issued a warning that the state government should not provoke it on the railway issue.
KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar described the railway projects without a mechanism to check influx like the Inner Liner Permit as a deliberate provocation, asserting that the union would not tolerate development at the cost of the Khasi people’s security.
The KSU criticised the government for failing to enforce the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, and questioned why attention is repeatedly focused on what the KSU has done for the Khasi community, while elected representatives continue to avoid accountability for their inaction.
The KSU president also alleged that both the state and central governments have made multiple attempts to undermine the organisation over the years, including the uranium mining controversy between 2007 and 2009.
The KSU made it clear that it will not remain a mute spectator if the state government goes back on its assurance of inviting stakeholders while framing rules and improving the principal act of the Meghalaya Investment Promotion and Facilitation (MIPF) Act.
The KSU also expressed concerns about the claims made by the Chief Minister and some ministers that the matter has been taken up with the central government, including the union Home minister, but since 2019, it is surprising that the Government of India is still reading the document.
The KSU believes that the government is pushing them to the corner and that they will continue to raid and conduct inspections to detect illegal immigrants.
Under growing pressure from pressure groups, the Meghalaya Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution during a special session on December 19, 2019 urging the Government of India to implement ILP in the state under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
However, even after many years down the line, the Centre has yet to speak a word on the demand of the state, even though ministers, MLAs, and members of pressure groups met Union Home Minister, Amit Shah on several occasions.
Founded in 1978, the KSU has emerged as a students’ movement aimed at uniting different sub-groups of the Khasi community under a single platform. Its origins trace back to a meeting at the Khasi National Durbar Hall in Mawkhar, Shillong, where students from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and various colleges came together to form the organisation.
The union adopted the motto Mait Shaphrang Khlur Ka Ri, meaning “strive forward, children of the soil.”