Shillong: Pressure groups shuttered bank branches across Meghalaya on Sunday. Activists fanned out from Shillong to Tura to stop operations. These groups demanded an immediate halt to transactions scheduled ahead of a national bank strike set for September 28 through September 30. Public sector and rural banks had received orders to stay open to prepare for that three-day walkout.
The Khasi Students’ Union, Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations, and Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People led the push. Members of HITO and the Achik Youth Welfare Association joined the effort. They hit branches including SBI, PNB, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, South Indian Bank, and YES Bank. Inspectors visited sites in Shillong, Mawkyrwat, Dawki, and Mairang to ensure compliance.
Protesters argued the mandate ignored the state’s religious traditions. Sunday is reserved for church and family time. HITO president Donbok Dkhar declared that maintaining banking services should not come at the expense of the state’s religious and cultural sensitivities. Reginald Thabah of the FKJGP stated the organization would not accept Sunday being treated as a normal working day under the pretext of strike preparations.
CoMSO general secretary Balkarin Ch Marak urged authorities to consult state stakeholders before issuing similar orders. In the Garo Hills, the All A’chik Youth Welfare Society, Association for Democracy and Empowerment, Federation for A’chik Freedom, and the Garo Students’ Union enforced the closures. Groups fear Sunday work will become permanent. They pointed to the past designation of Christmas as Good Governance Day as an example of previous overreach. The organizations maintained their intervention aimed only to protect Christian observances.
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