Shillong, Jan 21: On the occasion of 48th statehood day on Tuesday, the Khasi Students Union (KSU) staged a protest by putting anti-CAA and pro-ILP stickers and posters on vehicles and locations across the Khasi and Jaiñtia region.

The Union also expressed concern over the inability of the state government to resolve the long pending boundary dispute with Assam.

KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah said that pasting of stickers on walls and hanging of posters were a reminder of the strong opposition against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 as well as the delay to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) in the state.

“It is an irony that after 48 years of statehood, the Meghalaya government in the past and present has failed to protect its people from the illegal entry and settlement of outsiders,” Thabah said.

He said the coming of the CAA only reminded the challenges faced by the indigenous community in 1971 when Bangladeshi and Nepalese have started coming and settling in the state.

Thabah also recalled that before attaining statehood in 1972, the ILP was fully implemented in the United Khasi Jaiñtia Hills District of the undivided Assam.

“Unfortunately, the implementation of ILP stopped after Meghalaya attained its statehood. Although the demand for ILP started since 1987 onwards, not even a single state government was able to fulfill this long pending aspiration of the people,” he said.

The KSU leader further asserted the need to have strong and effective laws to check influx and illegal immigration, which has affected the interests of the indigenous tribal people of the state in term of political and socio-economic development.

“Therefore, we take this opportunity to reiterate our demand to the state government to listen and fulfill all the aspirations of the people by coming up with strong protection laws, improving education, health and road sectors, creating employment opportunities and others. We feel without these, celebrating statehood would be meaningless,” he said.

In one of the banners put up at Khyndai Lad area, the KSU asked the state government to come clear whether Meghalaya will get ILP or not.

Meanwhile, the KSU condemned the police for removing posters pasted at Laitumkhrah, Laban and Khyndai lad area. “This only shows that the state government is not against the CAA and has no interest to implement the ILP and MRSSA in the state,” Thabah said while announcing that the union will further intensify its agitations in the coming days.