CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Amid reports of stone pelting in parts of the greater Laban area in Shillong, the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) on Saturday organised a rally to mark Khasi National Awakening Day, invoking history, identity, and indigenous concerns even as the city remained on edge, with security tightened and a massive deployment of forces in place. The procession began at Bharat Scouts and Guides, Laban, and passed through Laban, Last Stop, Kench's Trace, and Bishnupur before culminating at Madan Laban, where leaders addressed a gathering of volunteers and members, joined by representatives of other organisations.
Observed annually on April 4, Khasi National Awakening Day (Sngi Kyrsiew Ri) commemorates the 1829 uprising led by freedom fighter U Tirot Sing against British colonial rule. The day, spearheaded by the KSU, is positioned as a call for unity and vigilance among the Khasi-Jaintia communities.
On the sidelines of the programme, NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said, "The Khasi Students' Union has organized a massive rally to commemorate the uprising of U Tirot Sing in 1829 against the British Empire. The KSU has been observing this day as Khasi National Awakening Day to call upon our fellow community members of the Hynriewtrep race to remain alert and aware of all the happenings around them, as well as the various challenges the tribe is facing today. This 4th April was adopted as Khasi National Awakening Day in 1993, when the KSU also adopted the constitution of the union."
He further cautioned, "We, the different tribes of the entire North Eastern Region, are microscopic communities; we are very small in number, and the threat of influx from Bangladesh is very much present. We have seen what happened in Tripura and in different parts of Assam, where indigenous people have been overwhelmed and have become a minority in their own land. For us in the state of Meghalaya, this threat is very real, and it is important for us, as people of small communities, to remain alert to developments, whether in Bangladesh or migration-related issues."
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