Guwahati: Meghalaya Police raided the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) central office on Jaiaw Chapel Road late Wednesday and arrested three senior leaders following violence during the organisation’s black-flag motorcycle rally in Shillong earlier in the day.
Those arrested were KSU president Raymond Kharjana, vice-president Pynkmenlang Sanmiet and general secretary Reuben Najiar.
East Khasi Hills district police chief Vivek Syiem said the three were arrested in connection with alleged assaults on civilians, vandalism involving 31 vehicles, including one that was set on fire, and damage to public property during the rally. Police also accused the protesters of creating fear among residents.
The KSU leaders have been booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including those dealing with damage to public property, assault, and violations of law, according to police.
Among the reported incidents was damage to a bust of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and a glass enclosure containing a statue of Swami Vivekananda at the RR Colony Welfare Society office.
The arrests came shortly after the three leaders addressed a press conference denying that KSU members were responsible for the violence. They claimed unidentified miscreants had carried out the vandalism to undermine the union’s ongoing agitation.
While expressing regret over the incidents, the leaders said they accepted moral responsibility because the rally had been organised under the KSU banner. They also acknowledged the anger among members of the public over the disturbances.
The motorcycle rally was organised after the KSU’s 15-day ultimatum to the Meghalaya government expired without the union’s demands being addressed.
Among its demands is the cancellation of the July 31 environmental public hearing for Shree Cements Ltd’s proposed Rs 1,800-crore integrated cement manufacturing and limestone mining project at Lum Syrman in East Jaintia Hills district.
The union has also sought the removal of the East Jaintia Hills district magistrate, district police chief and officials of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, alleging that landowners and farmers were prevented from participating in the statutory public hearing.
The KSU has further called for implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016, pending the introduction of an Inner Line Permit system in the state.
Its demands also include immediate enforcement of amendments to the Meghalaya Migrant Workmen Act, 2020; recruitment reforms at NEIGRIHMS, including an 80:20 female-to-male ratio for nurses and reservation for Khasis, Jaintias and Garos; removal of interviews for Grade B, C and D government posts; and the introduction of standard operating procedures for all recruitment boards.