SHILLONG, AUG 11: The Meghalaya government on Monday appealed to the people to defy the ‘unwarranted’ 48-hours bandh called by the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) even as it assured that security will not be compromised to them.
The government’s statement came a day after the HNLC announced the bandh from 6 pm of August 13 to 6 pm of August 15 to protest against the NGT ban on coal mining and also to boycott the Independence Day celebration in the State.
“The Government has taken a serious note of these avoidable and unnecessary calls for bandh particularly by an organization which has been proscribed by law and would like to reiterate its firm commitment to maintain law and order at all costs and to ensure that the security of its citizens is not compromised in any way,” the political department under secretary said in a communiqué issued on Monday.
Appealing to public, the government said, “Members of the public in general and government employees in particular are exhorted not to pay any heed to this unreasonable call and to come out as they would on any normal day and carry on with their daily activities without any fear or apprehension of reprisals.”
According to the government, HNLC is a proscribed organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 since the November 16, 2000 and has been boycotting the celebrations of national days of importance through bandh calls.
Urging the public to come out in large numbers and witness the 68th Independence Day Celebration, the government said, “This will be an indication of our maturity and send out a strong message that the people of the State can no longer be willfully held to siege at every turn.”
The state government reiterated its commitment to deal with such cases with a firm hand in accordance with its constitutional obligation to ensure peace and a secure environment to all the citizens of the state.- By Our Reporter
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