A scuffle broke out today evening between residents of Mawshbuit village and personnel of 58 Gorkha Training Centre over the closure of a gate.
Remote Mawshbuit is accessible only through a gate on a road controlled by the GTC.
Its closure led to a scuffle between members of the public and the forces.
According to residents, the army without warning barricaded the entry-exit point on the Mawshbuit road, leaving hundreds of residents who pass through the area daily angry.
They reportedly tried to reason with the army personnel but, when this did not bear fruit, tried to take matters into their own hands upon which the scuffle broke out.
The Khasi Students Union said that its Mawshbuit unit president had to be admitted to Shillong Civil Hospital along with several other civilians who were injured in the fracas.
Officials from the East Khasi Hills district administration went to the spot to obtain firsthand knowledge concerning the incident. Sohryngkham MDC Pyniaid Sing Syiem also travelled to Mawshbuit and met with army authorities.
Villagers have previously protested about restrictions imposed by the army on their ingress and egress through the only road that connects them to the rest of the city.
Condemning the incident, the Thma u Rangli Juki (TUR) said this is not the first time that such incidents took place between civilians and the army.
Pointing out that vast stretches of land are occupied by various defence establishments in and around Shillong, TUR said that no governments since 1972 have been able to pursue with transfer of such lands even as district council authorities and Himas too have not pursued with the central government.
Referring to a lane from Civil Hospital to Khyndailad and Pine Walk near Lady Keane College that were been closed by defence authorities preventing civilian movement and other areas in the outskirts of Shillong-Laitkor, Pomlakrai, Lawsohtun and Upper Shillong-as well as the Garrison Ground, TUR said there is lack of proactive steps to transfer them to the State government.
TUR has also demanded constitution of a commission to address to complaints of harassments to civilians and handing over of the Garrison Ground to the State government.
