Shillong, Mar 26: Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) President Roykupar Synrem today defended his recent remarks during a public meeting against non-tribal participation in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.
Synrem was summoned to the Lumdiengjri police station after an FIR was registered against him, citing that certain remarks were communal that could incite disharmony and undermine peace and order in the region..
The FIR alleged that Synrem’s statement, “if Garo brothers need us, we are ready to fight alongside them,” and his mention of carrying weapons was seen as provocative.
However, Synrem told reporters that his statement was taken out of context and that he had only expressed solidarity with the Garo people. “I did mention that we will carry weapons, but it was in the context of fighting alongside our Garo brothers, not instigating violence,” he said.
He stated that his intention was solely to express solidarity with the Garo people and that the discussion pertained to defending indigenous rights rather than inciting violence.
Synrem said that he did not specify any particular religion when mentioning the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. He expressed concern over the selective use of his speech on social media, saying, “Who has spread selected portions of my speech in social media, I don’t know. I made statement, and it was in the context of defending our indigenous rights.”
