Dozens of petty traders and hawkers in Iew Pynursla were told to pack up their wares and disperse by police and the local Syiem’s officials solely because they were unwilling to take the Covid-19 vaccination.
Most of them are women who come to the bazaar on market days to sell their goods. Some of them spoke to Highland Post, expressing shock that they are not allowed to earn their living.
Police reportedly told the women that they would not be allowed to sit in the marketplace unless they took the vaccine.
When the petty traders said that they were unwilling, the police forced them to pack up their wares and leave.
Unsure of what their options were, they decided to seek help from the human rights activist, Agnes Kharshiing.
This is just one example of the state government’s “vaccinate all” campaign running counter to the wish (or fears) of sections of the people and, more precisely, several High Court rulings that have underlined that people’s livelihoods come before vaccination and that no one can be deprived of their right to earn a living because they are not vaccinated.
Three High Courts in the region – those of Meghalaya, Gauhati and Manipur – have ruled that people cannot be stopped from earning their livelihood because they are not vaccinated.
