Members of the Hynñiewtrep Youths Council (HYC) were in for a surprise after the owner of a factory in Ri-Bhoi refused their demands to produce documents relating to whether the facility was being run legally or not.
The pressure group members were unannounced, uninvited and unauthorised when they descended on Resource Rubber Pvt Ltd in Mawsmai.
Factory owner Joginder Pal Kapoor refused to cooperate with the self-appointed enforcers of the law, referring to a statement made by the Chief Minister last week that no one other than government officials had the right to inspect companies’ or migrant workers’ documents.
The HYC said it was there after receiving word that the factory was operating without proper paperwork. The pressure group padlocked the factory after being rebuffed.
The owner of the land on which the factory sits, Donald Rymbai, was the one who had called on the HYC and claimed that Kapoor has not paid rent since 2022. Rymbai also denied that there was an agreement to operate a factory on his land over which he has filed a complaint with the district authorities, though no action has been taken.
