SHILLONG: In a significant judicial development after recent unrest in Shillong, a local court has remanded three top leaders of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU)—President Raymond Kharjana, General Secretary Reuben Najiar, and Vice-President Pynkmenlang Sanmiet—to 14 days’ judicial custody.
The order was confirmed by East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem.
The arrests took place around midnight on Wednesday, shortly after the KSU leaders held a press briefing in which they apologized for the violence but suggested that “negative elements” had infiltrated the rally to discredit the union.
Law enforcement booked the trio under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including charges of unlawful assembly, causing hurt, and destruction of public property. They were initially detained at Sadar Police Station for questioning before being produced in court.
The judicial action follows widespread chaos during the KSU’s black-flag bike rally. According to police, demonstrators pelted stones at commuters, targeted vehicles with non-state registration numbers, set a government vehicle on fire, and assaulted pedestrians across several parts of Shillong. Authorities reported 31 damaged vehicles and multiple civilian injuries.
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The midnight crackdown on KSU leadership involved a heavy security presence, including Special Force 10 (SF-10) commandos who cordoned off the KSU headquarters at Jaiaw Pdeng. The operation drew immediate resistance from local residents, who attempted to block security personnel, prompting police to fire tear-gas shells to disperse the crowd and restore order.
The violence also affected senior state political figures. The official convoy vehicle of BJP leader and Pynthorumkhrah MLA A.L. Hek was attacked, leaving windows and the windshield shattered, though Hek was unharmed.
In a separate incident, the official vehicle of Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui (ML 05 AA 5919) was damaged at Nongmensong market; Rymbui’s son and driver, who were in the vehicle, escaped uninjured.
(4FrontMedia news)
