HITO opposes business shutdown call in city

SHILLONG, April 27: The Shillong unit of the Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) on Sunday urged all shops and establishments to remain open, respecting the fact that for many, daily livelihood is sacred and non-negotiable.
In a letter addressed to East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, RM Kurbah, HITO Shillong general secretary Balajied Jyrwa opposed the call for the shutdown of all commercial establishments in the city by the self-styled Shillong Citizens Forum, purportedly as a token of solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Stating that the organisation deeply shares the grief of the bereaved families and extends prayers for the swift recovery of those injured, he said true solidarity should be voluntary, not through orchestrated shutdowns.
“This was evident when the citizens of Kashmir spontaneously closed their establishments without any coercion or instigation,” he said.
Jyrwa recalled that there was a shutdown call by certain groups after the Assam Police personnel massacred the indigenous people of Meghalaya at Mukroh, but nobody was forced to down their shutters or stop trading.
Seeking to know the legal standing of the “so-called” Shillong Citizens Forum, he said: “Intelligence inputs suggest that it is controlled by a businessman based in Police Bazaar, who resides primarily in Kolkata and remotely dictates actions through a few cronies. This raises serious questions about the genuineness, credibility, and commitment of the forum to the welfare of our people.”
He said the district administration would be responsible for the consequences of any attempt at forcibly closing commercial establishments, leading to disruption of peace and law and order.
“We demand that the sponsors and enforcers of this so-called shutdown be treated no differently from other pressure groups that violate the law, and stringent legal action, including imprisonment, must be initiated against them without delay,” Jyrwa said.
He added that necessary steps will be taken to ensure that law-abiding citizens are protected and allowed to go about their livelihoods without fear or intimidation.
The Bara Bazar Merchants’ and Shopkeepers’ Association and the state BJP have extended support to the Shillong Citizens’ Forum’s call for a total shutdown of all businesses in the Greater Shillong Agglomeration on Monday to protest the Pahalgam terror attack.
Officials in charge of the MUDA Shopping Complex at Khyndai Lad have expressed their inability to keep their shutters down on Monday, arguing that there was no prior intimation about the shutdown call.
“While expressing our solidarity with such unfortunate incidents, we are unable to comply with the shutdown call,” they said, urging all shopkeepers in the MUDA Shopping Complex to keep their businesses open on Monday.