Shillong, Jan 28: Chairman of Assam State Linguistic Minority Board, Shiladitya Dev, on Friday slammed Meghalaya government for failing to take action the criminals as they roam the streets of Shillong freely and commit crimes with impunity. At the same time, he demanded he Government to set up a Linguistic Minority Development Board to look into welfare, safety and security of the linguistic minority people in the state.

This came in the wake of the recent assault incidents on people belonging to linguistic minority groups by miscreants in Lumdiengjri and Jaiaw areas of the city.

“The government can take action immediately after it is being reported because many times what happen is that the linguistic minority people even fear to register FIRs or to report to the police station also out of fear that they may again be attacked or harassed,” he said while adding “…such incident happened in 2020 when a girl had reported an FIR in Laban police station and after one year, she was forced to withdraw the case.”

He has also decided to get firsthand information about the incidents after a couple recently staged a hunger strike in Shillong as a mark of protest against violation of human rights of the linguistic minority groups.

The chairman further expressed concern that the state government is not very keen in ensuring proper investigation and arresting the culprits involved in such incidents.

He said this has led the linguistic minority groups to feel neglected and insecure.

Stating that there is a feeling of fear among the linguistic minority people in Shillong, he said a Linguistic Minority Development Board can address these fears.

“I would request the government to come up with a Linguistic Minority Development Board in Meghalaya for the safety and security of the minority communities in the state,” Dev told reporters.

The former Assam legislator also held meetings with the linguistic minority groups in Shillong, intellectual groups and public representatives.

‘Criminals cannot be protected under the veil for language or religion’

Stating that there was a concept that it was a communal clash and communal disharmony, Dev however said after meeting few of the Khasi intellectual groups, leaders and human rights activists, it is basically a conflict between the criminals and the law abiding people as he demanded immediate arrest of the criminals.

“So my request to the government, the chief minister and all political leaders, the MLAs, the MPs they should come out openly as a criminal is a criminal, you cannot communalize the criminals, you cannot give them protection on the basis of either religion or on the basis of language because criminals do not have any language or religion,” he said.

“When we talk of democracy and when we talk of human rights, it is always the law abiding people, so if law abiding citizen is being harassed, is being stabbed, is being intimidated  so what happen is, government has to take stern actions which I believe today is not happening,” he rued.

Dev said the former minister and sitting legislator AL Hek was also of the same view that such criminals should be booked and that the government should take stern actions on such incidents.

Reminding that Meghalaya was once part and parcel of Assam, he further asserted, “that feeling of brotherhood should always exist.”

Crimes will impact tourism sector

Also warning that such incidents will have a negative impact on the tourism industry in the state, the chairman said, “Shillong being a paradise for tourism is concerned, I believe to maintain harmony is very important. If the lawlessness happens, the worst thing will happen is that the tourism industry will crash and you will lose lots of revenue.”

“Today if the people outside Meghalaya they come to know every now and then you have a boycott called or you have a bandh or you have some criminal activities going on and you have lawlessness and the government is mum about it, naturally, the tourism industry will be shaken up and what will happen is crores of rupees which Meghalaya is supposed to earn out of tourism that will be over,” he added.

He further requested all the intellectual groups, communities and people who love Shillong and Meghalaya to come out and ensure that such incidents of stabbing and harassing the linguistic minority people should not reoccur “otherwise the brotherhood is destroyed”.