A conglomeration of civil groups have appealed to the Chief Minister that no further arrests should be made into the July 24 violence in Tura.
Eighteen security personnel were injured and several vehicles torched when a mob attacked the location of the CM, who had met with representatives of ACHIK there to discuss the demand for a winter capital and retrospective roster system. Forty-seven people have since been arrested.
The NGOs asserted that the government and police are criminalising dissent by dubbing those involved in the incident as would-be assassins.
FKJGP leader Pritam Marak Arengh said that the last minute change in venue from the Circuit House to the mini Secretariat caught many off guard.
“When the talks took some time, the agitators became very aggressive. Maybe there were one or two instigators as is evident from the videos and the gathering turned violent. There was some stone pelting and damage to vehicles which was very unfortunate,” he said.
The pressure groups questioned why the police allowed the CM to go to the mini Secretariat even when there were many protestors already present there.
“Was the police department unaware that there was a huge gathering and the crowds could get unruly? Can the safety and security of the CM be compromised by the police if the CM is allowed to go to such a gathering of people who are agitated that the CM is not listening to their demands?” Arengh said.
The statement by the police that the crowd had tried to assassinate the Chief Minister has gone one to paint the whole Garo community in a bad light, he added.
The pressure groups went on to claim that the police are now rounding up all those who were present outside the mini Secretariat and not just those who were violent. The district administration has also announced a reward for those who provide information on the whereabouts of those that attended the meeting.
Arengh also slammed the two groups that had met the CM and which called for the public to make their presence felt at the location.
“They had been calling the people to come to the venue for days but when it came to the end, they quickly washed their hands off and said they were not aware of the people who came and were not part of their movement. They even called those that came as people as not their own. When such a statement was made, it became very easy for the police and administration to say it was politically motivated and thus began the unprecedented arrests,” he added.
He added that despite what happened one positive thing has come out – the discussion about the setting up of a second capital in the state of Meghalaya
“There is a narrative that a gentleman’s agreement was made between the founding fathers of our state regarding the set up of a second capital in Tura. Majority of us believe this narrative. I think it’s time for us to discuss if we want to get to the bottom of what happened and work as stakeholders of the state,” he felt.
