GUWAHATI: A middle-aged couple in Meghalaya staged a sit-in stir on Sunday against 40 years of alleged atrocities against the non-tribals in the state.
Eight others had joined the protest staged at the Police Bazar point below the old Assembly gate in Shillong.
The couple, SK Choudhury and Kalpana, had planned a fast-unto-death stir but the authorities granted permission for a six-hour protest.
In a letter to the district magistrate seeking permission for the programme, Choudhury, a permanent resident of the hill station, had alleged that numerous atrocities had been committed against the non-tribals in the state since 1979.
“Till date, not a single murderer, looter, extortionist, or criminal has been convicted or given punishment as per the law. We, being the citizens of India, are ill-treated here as third-grade populace,” the couple had alleged.
Shillong-based activist Agnes Kharshiing and some others had visited the site of protest to express solidarity with the couple.
Later, Kharshiing told this newspaper that the incidents of assault and violence had not ceased.
“Recently, there was an incident of assault. The police told me today that no person has been arrested so far. A society or state should not allow any form of violence or hatred to be promoted,” she said.
On January 20, a gang of eight unidentified miscreants had attacked several people at a Shillong locality, leaving them injured. At least one of the victims was allegedly stabbed.