Shillong: Khasi Students’ Union leaders faced a violent threat on Saturday near the proposed Shree Cement Limited plant in Daistong. A group wielding machetes intercepted the delegation as they left the East Jaintia Hills site after meeting with local residents. The attackers fled toward a nearby police camp. Tensions boiled over when KSU members demanded police identify the men.
KSU general secretary Reuben Najiar took the matter to the East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police after the camp officers failed to provide answers. The union slammed the security setup. How could armed men operate freely near a guarded industrial zone?
Beyond the confrontation, the KSU attacked the state government over its handling of the project. A Fact Finding Committee currently reviewing the controversy has held hearings exclusively in Shillong. KSU president Raymond Kharjana criticized the panel for ignoring the village. The committee has refused to step foot in Daistong to hear from those actually living there.
Daistong headman Philemon Sukhlain joined the delegation to voice local frustration. Residents claim a few village leaders pushed the project through without community consent. Najiar noted that past factories brought no real improvements to the area. He stated, "The Union had found that existing cement factories in the region had failed to bring meaningful benefits to local communities."
The union remains committed to blocking the plant. Villagers look to the KSU to lead their fight.
Updated at 9th November 2026 at 9:46am
The narrative of Saturday's confrontation shifted on Sunday as two local men, Miki Sukhlain and Khreh Sukhlain, checked into the Civil Hospital in Khliehriat and accused KSU members of launching an unprovoked assault. Miki Sukhlain told reporters that he and his companion were returning from agricultural work when they commented on the convoy of KSU vehicles. He claimed the occupants exited their cars and beat them.
Khreh Sukhlain disputed the Union's claim that the locals were armed with malicious intent. He stated that the machetes were simply tools for field work. He alleged that a KSU member, identified as Hel Patwet, struck him with a blade before others hit him in the head with a stone, leaving him collapsed on the ground. He expressed frustration, stating, "The KSU should have stood by the Khasi-Pnar community during difficult times instead of allegedly assaulting local residents."
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