Curfew was imposed in Meghalaya’s Mawkynrew village Monday after a large group of residents allegedly tried to dismantle an under-construction Ramakrishna Mission school.
The incident led to a confrontation between police and the mob, and a baton-charge by the authorities. Multiple people, both police personnel and residents, were injured.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said the mob of around 250 people, who opposed the construction of the school, had marched to the site and attempted to dismantle it. This was spurred by a dispute over the allotment of the land to the Ramakrishna Mission.
“The land in question had been gifted by the village councils (dorbar shnong) to the Ramakrishna Mission in 2020 to start a school. Two villages, Mawkynrew and Mawlein, have community rights over this land. While the headman of the Mawlein village has continued, the headman of Mawkynrew has since changed and is now opposing the construction of the school and wants it returned to the community. So around 250 of his supporters came and tried to dismantle the school,” said SP Syiem.
Construction for the school began in 2022.
Following the incident, the District Magistrate of East Khasi Hills, R M Kurbah, issued an indefinite curfew, saying: “…these activities are likely to continue with every likelihood of causing serious breach of peace and tranquility and may lead to loss of life and property.”
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