Shillong, July 27 : The Civil Society Women’s Organisation, part of the Steering Committee Against Murder of Democracy, today demanded the release of two Jaintia Youth Federation leaders who were arrested last night.
The organisation’s president, Agnes Kharshiing, said in a statement that as the students’ federation was a part of the committee demanding the removal of Meghalaya DGP Anil Pradhan, the police were targeting its leaders.
Jaintia Hills police last night arrested the federation’s president and four of its members for pelting stones at three dhabas and damaging several shops at Khliehriat.
The president of the federation’s central body, D.L. Rymbai, and East Jaintia Hills unit president M.H. Dkhar are still in police custody.
The federation said they were arrested for checking the trading licences of the shops, while the police claimed that they were arrested for taking the law into their hands.
The women’s organisation said Jaintia Hills police owed an explanation for the alleged fake encounter of Shillong jailbreak gang leader Full Moon Dhar. If the police could arrest the federation’s leaders, the government should have taken action against the police personnel involved in the encounter a long time ago, the organisation said.
It urged the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council and Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council to check the illegal traders, who are setting up business in many parts of the state. The traders allegedly pay off the headmen to get no-objection certificates.
It also requested the government to remove the police officials who took no action against the traders and asked for action against the corrupt headmen.