Pressure groups today compelled banks to shut down in East Khasi Hills as the day was declared holiday due to Nongkrem Dance.
Members of the Khasi Students Union (KSU) and Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC) in separate groups entered various bank branches to close their shutters in the city.
The Meghalaya government had announced general holiday on account of the Nongkrem Dance Festival at Smit.
Earlier, the All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) had also written to the State government to extend the Nongkrem dance holiday for banks and other financial institutions beforehand to prevent disruption in banking services, harassment and forced closure.
The AIBOC had said that bankers are being made soft targets as banks are always forced to close down on local holidays by members of the NGOs and police who would also visit branches asking them to shut down for the sake of law and order.
However, the petition by the confederation was declined by the Meghalaya General Administration Department.
Like the preceding years banks had to shut operations today after entry made by members of the KSU and HYC, which was foreseen.
