Low attendance was recorded in most government offices in Meghalaya today as various organisations gave a call for a non-cooperation movement in protest of the Mukroh firing incident that claimed the lives of five Khasi villagers.
Attendance was thin in both central and state government offices in Shillong and seven districts of the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills region.
Five social organisations including the KSU and FKJGP had called for a State-wide non-cooperation movement today.
Masked members of the organisations also visited government offices and banks in Nongpoh and Jowai and ordered employees to cease work.
Panic is prevailing in Shillong with all shops in the GS Road and Police Bazar downing their shutters today. However, shops in Ïewduh were opened.
Amid the current tension, the State government has deployed additional security forces in all sensitive areas of the city to thwart any attempt to cause trouble.
Meanwhile, the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) has informed that the proposed venue for the ‘Red Flag’ rally tomorrow has been shifted to State Central Library premises.
The rally which will start at 3 pm has been called to mourn the loss of precious lives in the Assam police firing at Mukroh.
HITO also said that border residents continuously live in fear along the inter-state borders between Meghalaya and Assam and remain oppressed by all quarters especially by both the governments of Assam and Meghalaya.
While appealing to all “law abiding citizens” to participate in the rally, the HITO also requested all businesses to remain open as usual “as our battle is not against any individual or community but solely against the respective state governments which have failed to abide by the Constitution on guaranteeing the freedom and livelihood of all citizens.”
Meanwhile, at a separate protest, the so-called Save Hynñiewtrep Mission will burn effigies of the Chief Ministers of Meghalaya and Assam at 2pm in the city.
The conglomeration of pressure groups has demanded that the guilty Assam police and forest guards who participated in the Mukroh Massacre be arrested, with their prosecution to be done in Meghalaya. They also want an increase in the Rs 5 lakh in compensation paid to each of the families of the deceased.
