Staff Correspondent

Shillong : Following the sudden erection of check gates by pressure groups, particularly the influential Khasi Students Union (KSU), along the Assam–Meghalya border to preempt any possible infiltration into Meghalya by residents of Assam who do not figured in the National Registration of citizenship (NRC), the Meghalaya Home Minister James K Sangma told The Sentinel on Thursday categorically that no pressure group has the right to act on their own discretion and take the law into their own hands.”

“There is no need to raise such check points when the Government has taken its own pro- active step to dispel all such apprehensions of the people”, stated James K Sangma during a telephonic interaction with The Sentinel from Bangalore . He said, “As a Government, we know our job. We also know that the NRC is a draft list and whoever is not qualified to be part of the final list will not be allowed to enter our state.”

The Director General of Police (DGP) R Awasthi said that the subsequent developments in Meghalya are due to perception probably due to the scanty staffs in the entry points. “That has been plugged and a nodal officer of the DIG level has been appointed to allay all the apprehensions,” stated Awathi. The DGP said that there are constraints related to human and financial resources but the department is already prepared with a constingency plans on any type of situations that may crop up. In allaying the fears, Awathi also stated, “Notwithstanding the background of the NRC updates, the background and other nitty gritty involved in our neighboring state, everything is by and large peaceful.”