SHILLONG, Oct 22 - Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui has said that the ensuing Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam could be the reason for the renewed challenges the State has been facing on the law-and-order front.
He said with the elections in West Bengal and Assam round the corner, people representing different organisations are spreading �propaganda� to show that they represent the interests of their respective community in Meghalaya, Rymbui added.
The minister termed the allegation of religious discrimination by the State police or any state machinery against any particular community at Ichamati and adjoining villages as �unfounded and baseless�.
�The indigenous and non-indigenous populations are living in harmony. But there are some elements who are trying to vitiate the peace and harmony in the State and the Government will not tolerate anyone trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere,� Rymbui said.
On the complaint received from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on the alleged �institutionalized harassment� of women and children at Bholaganj, Ichahmati, Kalibari and Kalatek villages, Rymbui said that such allegations are also baseless.
�The Deputy Commissioner and the State police have conducted an inquiry and found that the allegations are totally baseless. There is no law-and-order tension at Ichamati or in the adjoining villages,� the Home Minister added.
Rymbai appealed to the people not to be swayed by falsehood being spread on the social media. �I am aware of antisocial elements trying to incite communal tension in the social media. The cyber crime cell is looking into this, but the police cannot swing into action since some are misusing the social media by using the VPN of other countries,� he added.