Shillong, Oct 12: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) has decided to march to the Main Secretariat and Chief Minister’s official residence for laying of flowers as a mark of protest against state government’s failure to suspend those involved in issuing and executing the order to fire tear gas at the protesting contractual teachers.

Informing this here on Wednesday, HITO president Donbok Dkhar said the march will start from the U Kiang Nangbah statue at Barik and pass by the Main Secretariat, CM’s residence and party offices of the NPP, UDP and BJP on Friday morning (October 14, 2022).

“The government has given us guns and tear gas in the last two years but in return we will give them ‘roses of redemption’ so that they will be redeemed from their sins,” Dkhar remarked.

He said the organization has been demanding the government to immediately suspend those in the higher authority for issuing the order and the two police officers including a DSP for throwing tear gas at the teachers, who were peacefully protesting on October 7, 2022.

“Until and unless the government suspends all those involved in the incident, we have no option but to agitate,” he said.

According to him, DSP Aiban Diengdoh and another police official Simsang Sangma were seen throwing tear gas at the teachers.

When asked about 144 CrPC promulgation by the district administration, Dkhar said, “I haven’t heard that to go and give flowers to the legislators is a violation, so on what ground they will stop us from giving them flowers.”

He further asked the state government to stop provoking the pressure groups because the police could have avoided the use of excessive force by using barricades if they wanted to stop the teachers from taking out the protest march. Dkhar said such police action should not be allowed to repeat in the future as the recent incident had even left children and pregnant teachers affected and traumatized.