Meghalaya govt assures safety of Sikhs in Shillong
Friday, 21/06/2019
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SHILLONG/CHANDIGARH: The Meghalaya government assured a Punjab government delegation on Thursday that it was dutybound to protect the people of all communities living in the state.
Meghalaya home minister James PK Sangma gave this assurance to a four-member delegation from Punjab which met him to ensure early and amicable one-time resolution of the Sikh settlers’ issue, Khadoor Sahib MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa told reporters here. Dimpa is part of the delegation sent by Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to meet representatives of the Meghalaya government and Sikh settlers in the Punjabi Lane area here to instil a sense of confidence among them.
The delegation, led by jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, arrived here on Wednesday to take stock of the situation after Sikh settlers were served notices by the Shillong municipal board to prove ownership of their land. The delegation said any arbitrary action taken to evacuate the settlers would be in gross violation of the right to movement and freedom of the Sikh community.
Some newspapers had reported last week that an outlawed organisation had issued a threat to the settlers of the Punjabi Lane area. “There was some kind of a threat. The settlers told us about their fear. They have received some threats from an outlawed organisation and we tried to instil confidence in them. They have full confidence in the Meghalaya government and the process it has undertaken,” Dimpa told reporters after meeting the state home minister.
“The Meghalaya government is sincere and wants to restore normalcy. It wants to come up with a long-lasting solution and settle the issue once and for all,” Dimpa said.
The delegation also submitted a letter from the Punjab CM that was addressed to Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma.
