Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: Members of the Khasi Students' Union Shillong Mihngi Circle locked a temple inside the CBI office premises in Shillong on July 14. They claim the structure sits illegally on government land. The group asserts that the construction violates Supreme Court guidelines regarding religious buildings on public property. Jeremiah Pohthmi, assistant organising secretary of the KSU central committee, led the protest and submitted a formal memorandum to the Deputy Inspector General of the CBI.
The union says officials previously promised them no religious structures would go up in the compound. They allege construction resumed recently and continued until the building neared completion. The KSU issued a seven-day ultimatum for the total demolition of the structure. They threatened further democratic protests if the deadline passes without action.
The move drew immediate fire from the Guwahati-based Kutumba Surakshya Parishad. President Satya Ranjan Borah condemned the lockdown as anti-social and warned it could spark communal unrest. Borah stated, “India is a secular country and every citizen has the basic right to worship as per his or her belief.” He called on Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to intervene and protect the rights of worshippers.
Local politics remain divided. BJP MLA A.L. Hek sided with the KSU. He argued that religious sites should be restricted to private homes and hold no place within government offices.
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