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| Vox populi |
Shillong, July 25: The Steering Committee Against Murder of Democracy (SCAMoD) today rejected the appeal of the East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner B. Dhar to call off its proposed night blockade of roads from Monday.
The committee, a conglomeration of NGOs demanding the removal of Meghalaya DGP Anil Pradhan in connection with the Shillong jailbreak, has announced the two-day blockade from Monday in the districts of East and West Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Ri Bhoi.
The three-day deadline expired on Thursday. The NGOs are protesting against the state government’s apathy to the demand to remove Pradhan for his involvement in letting off the Congress politician Thomas Nongtdu, an accused in the jailbreak episode.
An administrative inquiry of the state home department had indicted Pradhan for his role in releasing Nongtdu.
After the meeting with the deputy commissioner, SCAMoD spokesman J. Lyngdoh and KSU president Samuel Jyrwa said the NGOs had decided to go ahead with the proposed agitation.
The deputy commissioner apprised the team of NGOs that in view of the model code of conduct after the bypoll to Laitumkhrah was announced, it would not be proper to resort to any agitation.
“But we have made it clear that we are not against the law but the breakdown of law due to the interference of Pradhan who had effected the release of the accused,” Jyrwa said. The agitation will be called off only if the government removes Pradhan, he added.
The deputy commissioner last night imposed Section 144 CrPC prohibiting the road blockade.
The NGOs had called the road blockade from 7.30pm on Monday to 5am the next day and again from 7.30pm on Tuesday to 5am the next day.