SHILLONG: Statues of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were allegedly vandalised and at least two government vehicles were set ablaze on Wednesday during a bike rally organised by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), police said.
The rally passed through several parts of Shillong, where multiple vehicles were attacked and partially damaged. At least two government vehicles were also torched during the protest, officials said.
According to PTI, statues of Vivekananda and Bose erected at a colony were also vandalised.
The rally was part of the KSU’s ongoing agitation over a five-point charter of demands. These include implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, reforms in recruitment through the Meghalaya Public Service Commission and District Selection Committees, and stricter regulation of migrant workers.
The student body has also raised concerns over the recruitment of nurses at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) and sought changes to the hiring process.
Separately, the KSU has opposed the manner in which a public hearing was conducted for Shree Cement Ltd’s proposed limestone mining project at Lum Syrman in East Jaintia Hills. The union has demanded that the proceedings be declared null and void.
KSU had issued 15-day ultimatum
The union had earlier issued a 15-day ultimatum to the state government. It later announced a black-flag bike rally across Shillong, alleging that its demands had not been addressed.
During Wednesday’s protest, KSU members reached the main gate of the Meghalaya Secretariat and put up flags. Police personnel subsequently removed the flags.
The statues of Vivekananda and Bose at the Relief and Rehabilitation Colony, established for people who fled erstwhile East Pakistan in the 1960s, were also vandalised during the rally, officials said.
Police and security personnel were deployed across several parts of the city following the incidents.
Further details on the extent of the damage and any arrests were awaited.
(With agency inputs)
