SHILLONG: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has launched a fierce offensive against the state government, exposing what it calls a dual stance and a covert plot to push for uranium mining in Meghalaya.
During significant grassroots visit to Domiasiat village on July 4, newly elected and former KSU leaders paid tribute to the legendary anti-uranium crusader, the late Meiieid Spility Lyngdoh Lyngrin, by placing floral wreaths at her grave. The union revealed that this visit was triggered by intelligence reports showing that government agents have been quietly deployed to the area to entice and convince local landowners into surrendering their lands for uranium extraction.
KSU Central Executive Committee (CEC) President Raymond Kharjana expressed deep shock over this development, pointing out that during a very recent meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had explicitly assured the union that the state would never permit uranium mining or exploration under any circumstances.
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Condemning the government’s underhanded maneuvers, Kharjana stated that the union was stunned to discover that authorities are allegedly planning to bypass public consensus and secretly persuade locals to give up their lands. In response to this hidden agenda, the KSU leadership organized a massive public gathering in Domiasiat to reaffirm their unflinching solidarity with the family of late Spility Lyngdoh Lyngrin.
The KSU president made it absolutely clear that their opposition to uranium mining remains unconditional and permanent. He observed that whenever a new leadership body takes charge of the KSU, external forces try to revive the uranium issue in the hopes that the new team will waver. Kharjana issued a stern warning to the government that while the faces in the leadership may be new, the union’s core ideology remains completely unchanged, and they will not retreat even a single step.
The KSU has further exposed a coordinated campaign of intimidation designed to break the anti-uranium movement.
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According to Kharjana, the union has received confirmed reports that both KSU leaders and local citizens living near the proposed mining sites are being targeted. State police and CBI officials have already summoned several individuals to their offices, attempting to instill fear. However, the KSU President asserted that these heavy-handed state tactics will fail, as the public remains resolute and will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the union to protect the region. The union also called out former MLAs from outside constituencies who are reportedly trying to buy up local land to mislead and intimidate residents. The KSU warned that they are prepared to risk their very lives for this cause, and the new CEC will remain completely unyielding.
Reinforcing the union’s legislative demands, KSU General Secretary Rueben Anderson Naijer stated that during their recent meeting with the Chief Minister, the union demanded a formal legislative resolution to enact a permanent ban on uranium mining in Meghalaya. This demand is being directed not just at the state government and all 60 MLAs, but also at the three Autonomous District Councils—the KHADC, JHADC, and GHADC—who must enact strict customary laws to bar uranium extraction within their territories.
Naijer warned that uranium deposits span across South West Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills, and Garo Hills, making uniform legislation vital. He raised alarms over wealthy middlemen already purchasing land in these areas to resell to major corporations, comparing it to a dangerous trend seen in East Jaintia Hills. The immediate official resolution is the only way to safeguard Meghalaya’s future, Naijer emphasized. He pointed to a recent Central Government Office Memorandum that waives public hearings for defense-related minerals and cited how indigenous voices were completely ignored during uranium extraction in Andhra Pradesh.
(4FrontMedia news)
