Khasi Students Union targets illegal temple and drug smuggling in Meghalaya

Shillong: Members of the Khasi Students Union locked a temple on July 14 at the Central Bureau of Investigation office in Shillong. The union claims the structure sits on government land without authorization. Jeremiah Pohthmi, an assistant organizing secretary for the KSU Central Executive Committee, led the protest. The group submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Inspector General of the CBI demanding removal of the building.

KSU members said they previously secured assurances that no religious structures would go up on the property. They claim construction resumed recently despite those promises. The union issued a seven-day deadline for demolition and warned of future protests. "Central government office premises should not accommodate unauthorised religious structures," the group stated.

Separately, the KSU North Khasi Hills District Unit intercepted a vehicle on July 15 suspected of moving narcotics. Organizers received a tip about a car using fake registration plates to bypass law enforcement. Under the leadership of Jester Nongbet, union members watched the vehicle before stopping it in Umsning during the early hours of Wednesday.

The union handed the vehicle, the occupants, and the seized contraband to the Umsning Police Station for further investigation. The KSU claims the group included both local Khasi youths and outsiders. They argue that Umsning and the wider Ri-Bhoi district serve as major transit points for illegal drug supply lines across the state.