Meghalaya's HYC leaders booked for illegally carrying out eviction drive

Shillong: Meghalaya police have registered a case against leaders of Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), a pressure group, for illegally carrying out an eviction drive against settlers in the Lum Survey area in Shillong, police said on Friday.

Rituraj Ravi, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the East Khasi Hills district said that the case was filed at the Sadar police station against several HYC leaders, including President Roy Kupar Synrem, vice president Donbok Kharlyngdoh, assistant general secretary Isaac Basaiawmoit, and several others.

"HYC members carried out the eviction drive taking the law into their own hands. Defence estate owns the land at Lum Survey; however, the matter related to the settlers there is at the Court," Ravi told IANS.

Earlier on Thursday, the settlers' homes in Lum Survey were demolished by the HYC members.

The leaders of the organisation earlier gave the East Khasi Hills district administration two weeks to demolish the structures, which the pressure group claims were built unlawfully.

Reacting to this, the senior police officer said, "This statement does not stand before the law because any non-government organisation cannot give an ultimatum to the government machinery for carrying out an eviction drive."

The HYC also claimed that the Lum Survey area has become a safe haven for robbers while also accusing it of being a sanctuary for drug users and peddlers.