Meghalaya: Miscreants Kills 2 After Anti-CAA Protest in Ichamati

SHILLONG: In a shocking incident, two people were allegedly beaten to death by some unidentified miscreants in Ichamati area under the jurisdiction of Shella police station in East Khasi Hills district on Wednesday evening.

The deceased were identified as L Esan Sing and L Sujit Dutta, who were discovered at Ichamati and Dalda, respectively.

The incident took place after a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) organized by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and other NGOs in Ichamati, as per the police.

The victims, who were from the non-indigenous communities, may have been singled out by criminals who saw an opportunity to exploit the situation.

The Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills, SC Sandhu, confirmed the deaths but mentioned that more information is needed.

The situation is tense as more police forces are being sent to the area. Superintendents of Police have been instructed to increase patrols and arrange peace meetings for the next day.

Meanwhile, the people of Meghalaya have reiterated their determination not to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in areas outside the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

They stressed their determination to oppose any implementation of the CAA in areas not covered by the Sixth Schedule, saying it goes against the sentiments of the communities. Various citizen groups and civil society organizations are scheduled to convene rallies against CAA.

Enacted by Parliament in December 2019, the CAA grants Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighboring countries except Muslims who entered India before December 31, 2014 resulting implementation of CAA in the north-eastern state, including Meghalaya, has generated widespread protests over concerns of threat to the identity and livelihood of the people of the region.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who also leads the Rashtriya Janata Dal (NPP), addressed concerns over the CAA and assured that most of the areas under the Sixth Schedule would be deprived of Citizenship as the law of the land. He, however, emphasized the need for an in-water license (ILP) to check entry and exit process. The ILP, which functions as an official travel document, regulates domestic travel to protected areas.

On December 2019, the Government of Meghalaya further commenced the joint efforts to protect the interests and identity of residents of the state and thus decided to extend ILP in the state.

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