Meghalaya: Punjabi Lane Residents Urge Amit Shah To Intervene After IED Blast

SHILLONG: Following the IED explosion on March 9 which left one person injured, the residents of Punjabi Lane in Shillong have sought assistance from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a letter to HM Amit Shah, the secretary of the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC), Gurjit Singh, raised concerns about the blast stating that it has created hear among the residents. The Sikh community living in the contested area suspects that the explosion was planned to disrupt ongoing negotiations to relocate them to municipal land.

Singh emphasized that the relocation process, which began months after the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) took office in 2018 and has the support of the BJP, is currently being overseen by the high court.

He stressed to Shah that the blast undermined peace efforts and called for immediate action against those making threats, emphasizing that restoring peace necessitates holding troublemakers accountable.

Additionally, Singh urged the Center to uphold the rule of law and safeguard the rights of all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.

He highlighted that Sikhs in the Punjabi colony have faced threats from various tribal groups openly hostile to the presence of non-tribals in Meghalaya, creating an atmosphere of intimidation and fear.

On Tuesday, police apprehended four suspects from Ri Bhoi district in Meghalaya in connection with the IED blast case.

As per reports, East Khasi Hills police along with Ri Bhoi police initiated a joint operation which resulted in the arrest of the four individuals, two from Umsning and two from Nongpoh.

Police also recovered a huge amount of explosives from their possession.

Earlier on March 9, a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) bomb exploded near Them Iew Mawlong in East Khasi Hills on Saturday evening.

Confirming the blast, officials said that the explosion took place inside a small abandoned tin structure. However, no casualties were reported so far.

The blast site, notably an area where locals discard their garbage, led to the injury of one person. The victim was rushed to Woodland Hospital for medical assistance.

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