Silchar: Two Barak Valley organisations condemned the Aug 19 violence in Shillong and sought action against those responsible.The Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan described the violence as “pre-planned” and urged Centre and Meghalaya govt to take immediate preventive measures.In a statement, spokesperson Gautam Prasad Dutta alleged that anti-national elements used the Khasi Students’ Union’s five-point charter of demands as a pretext to demonstrate their strength. He said organisations had the democratic right to pursue their demands peacefully, but the Shillong incidents could not be described as a normal protest.The organisation condemned the alleged vandalism of statues of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda. It claimed provocative slogans were raised against non-tribal residents, particularly Bengalis, who were allegedly branded as “Bangladeshis”.The Sammelan accused Meghalaya govt of failing to act firmly against extremist elements and alleged that the police remained passive while violence continued in Bengali-dominated areas. It urged Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take up the matter with Meghalaya govt and ensure the safety of people from Assam and other states visiting Meghalaya.In a separate statement, social, cultural and sports organisation Rupam condemned the alleged vandalism, attacks on people from the plains and damage to vehicles.General secretary Nikhil Paul said damaging the statues of Bose and Vivekananda was an insult to India’s history and heritage. Rupam sought a fair and speedy probe, identification of those involved, exemplary action against the guilty and security for affected people and their property.It appealed to people not to blame the entire Khasi community or Meghalaya’s people for the actions of a few individuals, and urged peace-loving citizens to oppose violence and pursue all demands democratically.
