SHILLONG, AUG 23: While condemning the violence, arson and vandalism during the KSU motorcycle rally on August 19, Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) has opposed the state government’s decision to invoke the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA).
In a statement issued on Sunday, TUR said it unequivocally denounces the state government’s invocation of MPDA even as it strongly condemned the August 19 incidents and the subsequent blockading of entry points between Assam and Meghalaya.
Stating that it stands firmly against any form of violence, TUR said, “The targeted attacks on tourist taxis, buses, pedestrians, and vehicles are completely unacceptable.”
“Resorting to physical harm and destruction of property severely damages the fabric of communal harmony and hurts ordinary working-class families — such as local taxi operators, daily wage earners, street vendors etc whose livelihoods depend entirely on a stable peaceful environment. No political goal or democratic protest can justify acts that spread terror among innocent citizens and visitors,” it said.
TUR however said the perpetrators must be held accountable through democratic and transparent means, not through draconian laws.
“The organisation strongly rejects the government’s weaponization of draconian legislations like the MPDA and MMPO to handle political dissent. The use of preventive detention laws is a hallmark of an authoritarian state and the MPDA is nothing but a tool of dangerous state repression,” it stated.
TUR said it has always opposed MPDA as it bypasses due processes guaranteed under the Constitution and is liable to political misuse and abuse.
“MPDA criminalises dissent and the state government using this contentious law as intimidation rather than fostering political dialogue only deepens public distrust and worsens civil instability,” it said.
The organisation urged the government to revoke MPDA and initiate transparent, democratic processes to bring the perpetrators to book, while calling upon all groups, civil society organisations and the public to reject hate and maintain peaceful co-existence.
