The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Meghalaya: FIR after assault on migrant workers over ‘ permit’
THE POLICE have registered an FIR and the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission sought a report Wednesday after non- local workers were allegedly assaulted Tuesday by members of a group claiming to check if they had “work permits”.
The incident comes amid Khasi Students’ Union’s renewed pressure to implement an Inner Line Permit in the state. The union members are checking the 'work permits' of migrant labourers.
The alleged incident took place in Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where work is underway ahead of the Durand Cup, scheduled to begin this month.
In a widely circulated video, a technician from Delhi, who identified himself as Sonu, said that people had entered the venue Tuesday morning and began gathering the workers. He said that three of the men started hitting him while ordering him to stand with the other workers.
In the video, he is heard saying, “This incident makes me want to leave. I have spoken to my company and they have also asked me to leave.”
Shillong City SP Dara Aswaghosh said that “no accused has been named in the FIR” lodged in connection with the incident.
Making it clear that no group is authorised to conduct checks, CM Conrad Sangma said, “There is nothing called a work permit. There is registration done by the labour department and that is the only policy in our state… This is done to ensure safety to individuals and maintain a database of all labourers in the state.”
Those who are checking, the CM said, are “on the wrong side of the law”. Five FIRS have been registered against different organisations carrying out such checks over the last few days, he said.
Taking a suo motu cognizance of the alleged incident, state Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the SP concerned and sought a report within two weeks.
The state Assembly has also passed resolutions in favour of extending an ILP to the state and Sangma has repeatedly said that the matter will be examined by the Centre.