SHILLONG: High drama unfolded outside the Main Gate of the Meghalaya Secretariat on Thursday evening as members of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), led by Deborah Marbaniang and activist Angela Rangad, staged a sit-in demonstration demanding the scrapping and relocation of a proposed project.
The protest began as a rally at 2:00pm from the Kiang Nangbah statue and culminated at the Secretariat’s Main Gate, where agitators remained seated until 5:30pm.
Intervening at around 5:30 PM, the on-duty Magistrate directed the gathering to disperse immediately, citing violations of the district administration’s rally guidelines.
The Magistrate pointed out that Point No. 7 of the official order explicitly prohibited any stopping or dharna along the route or at the venue, and noted that the permitted two-hour window for the rally had already expired—terms that had been acknowledged and signed by Deborah Marbaniang prior to the event.
Despite repeated appeals from the administration to vacate the premises in an orderly manner, JAC leader Deborah Marbaniang refused to budge.
“We will not turn back and we will stand firm until the very end. The JAC urges the government to scrap or relocate this project. Our agitation is far from over, and we will continue to fight,” she declared.
Following the standoff, police arrived at the scene with two buses to clear the area.
As protesters were boarded onto the vehicles, activist Angela Rangad questioned the legality and transparency of the police action, demanding clarity from the Magistrate on where the protesters were being taken and stating that authorities could not arbitrarily detain women inside a bus.
Police subsequently transported the protesters in the two buses and dropped them back at the Kiang Nangbah statue, bringing the evening’s standoff outside the Secretariat to a close.
(4FrontMedia news)
