Three KSU Leaders Arrested After Vehicles Damaged in Shillong Rally

Police arrested three senior leaders of the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) in connection with violence reported during the organisation's black-flag bike rally in Shillong on Wednesday. KSU President Raymond Kharjana, General Secretary Reuben Najiar and Vice-President Pynkmenlang Sanmiet were taken into custody around midnight. The arrests came hours after the leaders addressed the media, apologised for the violence and defended the rally, which was organised over a series of demands directed at the Meghalaya Government.

Police said the three leaders have been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including sections related to damage to public property, causing hurt and unlawful assembly. They were taken to Sadar Police Station for questioning after a police team, including personnel from the Special Force-10 unit, cordoned off and searched the KSU office at Jaiaw around midnight. The arrests subsequently triggered fresh clashes between police personnel and KSU members in the city.

The KSU had organised the black-flag bike rally after the expiry of its 15-day ultimatum to the Meghalaya Government over a five-point charter of demands. The rally began around 4 pm from the union's office at Jaiaw and passed through several parts of Shillong, including Lumdiengjri, Malki, Dhankheti, Umpling, Golf Link and Mawlai Mawroh, before returning to Jaiaw. Most shops remained closed during the agitation, while reports of vandalism and arson emerged at different locations.

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According to police, the violence during the rally resulted in damage to 31 vehicles and injuries to several people. Protesters were accused of throwing stones at vehicles, damaging cars from outside Meghalaya, setting fire to a government vehicle and assaulting pedestrians at different points in the city. KSU leaders, however, claimed that the violence may have been caused by what they described as “negative elements” who joined the rally with the intention of diverting the agitation and damaging the union's reputation.

Among its key demands, the KSU has sought the cancellation of the July 31 public hearing for a proposed private cement plant project in East Jaintia Hills. It has also demanded action against officials it holds responsible for the conduct of the hearing, including the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills and officials of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board. The union has additionally called for implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016, including provisions concerning migrant workers.

The KSU's other demands include changes to government recruitment procedures, including the removal of personal interviews for Grade C and D posts and reservation of government jobs for Meghalaya residents. The union has also raised recruitment-related concerns at NEIGRIHMS, sought implementation of the Inner Line Permit system and demanded that the government fulfil its earlier commitment to oppose uranium mining. The arrests of its three senior leaders have now added a fresh dimension to the ongoing dispute between the student organisation and the Meghalaya Government.

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