The Trinamool Congress in Meghalaya expressed its fury, sadness and sense of solidarity with the people of Nagaland through a candlelight vigil here this evening.
TMC MLAs took part in paying tribute to the bereaved families of the civilians killed on Saturday by the military near Oting in Nagaland. Along with the MLAs, supporters and passers-by joined in lighting a candle to pay tribute.
Speaking to the media, former Chief Minister and leader of Meghalaya TMC, Dr Mukul Sangma, urged the Centre to use Meghalaya as a case study in how to defeat militancy without the need to resorting to the draconian and bitterly controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
Meghalaya first largely eradicated militancy in Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills before, under Dr Sangma, bringing almost all rebel groups in Garo Hills to the negotiating table.
“We urge upon all authorities concerned to ensure justice. In this nation, every individual or citizen must have a sense of belongingness. This is the essence of our democracy. Therefore there should be no space left for any citizen to feel that they are deprived of necessary justice,” stated Dr Sangma.
The TMC leader also said that if Meghalaya could deal with the problem without requiring AFSPA, then no state should need to implement the law.
“I think the people of the North East understand how complex it is to deal with the problem of insurgency. But Meghalaya has demonstrated its capability without having resorted to this draconian law. I think this is something that should be taken cognizance of by the government of India and it should look at all possibilities of dealing with insurgency and other related problems with the right perspective,” he added.
