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| A protester pins a black badge on a government official at the secretariat on Friday. A Telegraph picture |
Shillong, Oct. 26 : The Meghalaya home department has sought a detailed report from the secretariat administration department and police on the security lapses in the state secretariat after a delegation of pressure groups opposed to uranium mining barged into its premises on Friday.
However, the police maintained that prior warning was given to the secretariat officials about a possible entry of the protesters to the secretariat after the pressure groups had announced the agitation.
The anti-uranium mining group, under the banner the Co-ordination Committee of Social Organisation, entered the secretariat with black badges much to the embarrassment to those who man the secretariat.
The pressure groups, Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Ri-Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF), West Khasi Hills Students Union (WKHSU) Jaintia Youth Federation (JYF), and War Jaintia Students Union (WJSU), barged into the main secretariat and pinned black badges on the ministers, MLAs and officials.
The principal home secretary, Barkose Warjri, said the home department had asked the police and secretariat administration to find out what went wrong on Friday and submit a report.
Around 50 protesters avoiding the main gate of the secretariat had entered through the second gate where the people the building are not checked. Once inside, they dispersed to form groups of two and entered the rooms of the ministers and officials.
“Whatever happened at the secretariat should not have happened and we need to know how it happened,” Warjri said.
According to him, though it was a symbolic protest, the police should have been more careful.
The home department was surprised by the fact that though the CCSO had already announced its agitation, the police never thought that the protesters would pin black badges on ministers, MLAs and officials of the state secretariat.
The protesters chose the time when chief minister D.D. Lapang and senior ministers were not at the main secretariat.
When contacted, acting Meghalaya DGP B. Kezo said around 100 men from civil defence and homeguard department are on duty round the clock in the state secretariat.
“We do not understand what prevented the homeguards to act when the protesters barged into the secretariat,” he said.
Kezo made it clear that the police had warned the secretariat department earlier that there are chances that the protesters could enter the secretariat.
After getting the report from the secretariat officials, necessary steps will be taken to ensure proper security in the secretariat, he added.