Meghalaya groups defy restrictions, hit streets in protest

Five organisations launch a movement to save Hynniewtrep community comprising seven Khasi sub-tribes

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Five pressure groups in Meghalaya defied orders restricting the gathering of four or more people by hitting the streets of State capital Shillong to launch a mission to “save” the Hynniewtrep people.

Hynniewtrep refers to seven sub-tribes of the Khasi community.

The East Khasi Hills district authority had on October 31 imposed Section 144 in Shillong and adjoining areas prohibiting large gatherings. This was in connection with the targeted violence, mostly against non-tribal people, during a rally by a tribal organisation on October 28.

“Five organisations have come together to launch the Save Hynniewtrep Mission from today (November 1). We informed the government about the mission and our determination to intensify the movement until our demands are met,” Roykupar Synrem, one of the leaders of the movement said.

The demands of the pressure groups include the implementation of Inner-Line Permit (ILP), a British-era system that requires Indians from elsewhere to possess a travel document before entering a specified area, the eviction of the Mazhabi Sikhs and other Dalits from Shillong’s Harijan Colony and the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The ILP is currently in force in four north-eastern States – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.