SHILLONG, JUNE 28: The proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) on Sunday urged the Meghalaya high court to issue notice to the state government for cheating the outfit by giving false assurances to hold ‘peace talks’ even as it said that the court must also try and find out the reason for calling bandh by the outfit.
HNLC publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said in a statement on Sunday “We were cheated by the chief minister, governor and home minister. The High Court should issue notice to these people concerned to stop giving false assurances to hold peace talks, when they themselves encourage us to take up the gun rather than to come forward for peace talks.”
Asking whether the high court is aware that the HNLC had offered for unconditional peace talks with the state government since 2014, Nongtraw said, “Till date we are kept in the dark and the appointment of a interlocutor is still a far cry.”
Claiming that the outfit had been sincere, Nongtraw said, “We had adhered to the rules of our unilateral ceasefire declaration by not involving our council into any kind of bloodshed or ambush the police department.”
The HNLC also termed the plea of the police to ban media from publishing shutdown communiqués of the outfit as a ‘ploy’ of the police department to suppress the voice of the people.
Nongtraw said, “The high court should instead try to find out the reasons as to why do we declare shutdowns. We are not the enemy of our people.” He said “shutdowns” and “protests” are seen and faced in almost all over India.”
According to Nongtraw, for a proper functioning of democracy it is essential that citizens are kept informed about news and political problems, because only then can form rational opinions.
Nongtraw argued, “Our people surely cannot be expected personally to gather news to enable them to form such opinions hence, the media plays an important role in a democracy and serve as an agency of the people to gather news for them.”- By Our Reporter
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