The East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner has convened a meeting tomorrow of the district level committee to discuss the Mawjymbuin cave issue, particularly how to see that peace is maintained over the matter.
The cave came to the fore in August last year when the Mawsynram dorbar shnong banned all religious activity in the cave. The village council refused to permit worship or rituals at the Mawjymbuin cave following an announcement by a Hindu group that it would organise a pilgrimage to the cave that month.
The cave is famous for its natural stalagmite, which is in the shape of a Shivalingam and, as such, would draw Hindu visitors to it. Although visitors of all faiths are welcome, the dorbar shnong wanted religious worship to be avoided there in order to keep the site open to those of all persuasions.
However, the dorbar shnong’s directive did not go down well with certain organisations, including a fringe Assam-based group, the Kutumba Suraksha Parishad (KSP), which has threatened to disrupt transport links with Assam, the only Indian state that Meghalaya has a border with.
Although the matter was taken up by the Meghalaya High Court, the KSP once again issued its threats last month if the ban on religious activities in the cave was not reversed. State police and the district administration of Ri-Bhoi (the main gateway between Assam and Meghalaya) were put on high alert because of the KSP threat.
