Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the state government has formally invited the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) for talks on its five-point agenda, with a response expected by Monday evening or Tuesday.
Sangma said the government was ready to discuss all five demands raised by the student organisation and clarify its position wherever necessary. He said action had already been initiated on most of the issues, but a lack of communication between the two sides had contributed to misunderstandings.
On the arrest of KSU leaders and the application of the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act and Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act, the Chief Minister said the cases would be dealt with strictly according to law.
He said the government could neither alter nor bypass legal procedures because of pressure from any organisation or individual, and that due process would be followed.
Referring to the violence reported on August 19, Sangma said five masked individuals allegedly involved in the rioting had been identified and action taken against them. Further action would be taken against others found to have participated in the violence, he added.
The Chief Minister also said the government would tighten conditions for granting permission to rallies and processions. Although security personnel had been deployed along the route of the motorcycle rally, the administration faced difficulties when incidents occurred simultaneously at several locations.
Sangma rejected suggestions that the violence was the result of an intelligence failure. He said the administration had expected the rally to remain peaceful, but the scale and nature of the violence were unexpected.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the government remained open to meeting KSU representatives and discussing each of the five issues raised by the organisation.
