Shillong, Aug 24: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma sought to defend his government from charges that it had dropped the ball very badly when it came to the violence that accompanied the now infamous Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) rally in Shillong last week, which resulted in damage to 31 vehicles and injuries to 16 people.
Responding to criticism that he was away from the state at the time, Sangma said his travel schedule had already been fixed and that he was on a flight when the incident occurred. Despite this, the situation was being closely monitored by the government’s senior leadership, including Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister, the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police and others.
“We were in touch almost every hour discussing almost every aspect,” Sangma said, stressing that decisions were being taken without any gap in the government’s response.
The CM also rejected the Opposition’s allegation that the government was caught “sleeping” despite an ultimatum and earlier protests by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU).
He also rejected the description of the incident as an “intelligence failure”.
According to Sangma, the authorities had intelligence and personnel deployed along the routes but the scale and geographical spread of the incidents created significant challenges.
“There was a very clear understanding that this rally would be peaceful,” he said. “Were we caught by surprise in some sense, by the scale and the action? Yes, we were.”
Sangma said the scale of the violence was unprecedented and that five suspects had so far been identified. However, he said he did not yet have information about their organisational affiliations. The KSU claimed that the violence was not perpetrated by its members but that outside elements have infiltrated the rally in order to discredit it.
On the opposition’s demand for an FIR against non-state actors over the road blockade that followed the violence, particularly the disruption of vehicles carrying essential commodities, Sangma said the government would examine the demand. He maintained that the immediate priority had been to bring the situation under control and resolve the issues through communication and discussions.
With concerns over the impact of the violence on tourism, Sangma said the government was now focused on restoring confidence among visitors and residents. He acknowledged that the incidents had caused inconvenience and fear but said swift measures had been taken to prevent further escalation.
“We are now trying to de-escalate and bring back the sense of confidence in the people,” he said, expressing confidence that normalcy would return soon.
Sangma called for coordinated confidence-building efforts involving the Meghalaya and Assam governments, organisations, tourism stakeholders and other groups.
Asked whether the government would introduce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for processions and rallies, Sangma said permissions already contain terms and conditions governing what participants can and cannot do. However, in view of the recent incident, he indicated that the government could strengthen those conditions and impose stricter regulations for future processions.
Sangma said the government understood that citizens were fearful following the violence but assured them that strong action would be taken against those responsible for creating fear and harming innocent people. He stressed that while citizens have the right to hold peaceful protests, that right does not extend to taking the law into their own hands or attacking innocent people.
The CM also appealed to civil society organisations, associations and other stakeholders to learn from the incident and work towards preventing similar situations in the future.
“We have been one of the most open governments” when it comes to dialogue, Sangma said, reiterating that the government remains willing to engage in talks.
However, he cautioned that there are limits that cannot be crossed.
The government, he added, has formally invited the KSU for talks and intends to discuss all five points on the agenda of the pressure group.
Asked about demands from other NGOs and the United Democratic Party (UDP) to revoke the invocation of the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA) and Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order (MMPO) provisions against KSU leaders, as well as calls for their release, Sangma said the government would allow the law to take its course.
“The law is in place for a reason,” he said, arguing that the government cannot selectively change rules or interfere with legal proceedings because an organisation or individual is involved.
On whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the violence, Sangma said investigators were examining all possibilities. “We are not going to leave any stone unturned,” Sangma said, adding that investigations would continue on all fronts.
