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Night blockade in Meghalaya from Monday

By Raju Das

SHILLONG, April 27 � Social organisations here today threatened to go ahead with their agitational programme unless Meghalaya is exempted from the Election Commission�s voter registration guidelines and purviews of the Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950.

The social organisations had called night road blockades from Monday to Wednesday from 7 pm to 5 am after the two-night blockade from Wednesday to Thursday last, which resulted in cases of arson and stone pelting in different parts of the State capital and its suburbs.

The NGOs are protesting the alleged inclusion of D-voters in the voters list largely due to the patronage of politicians and by submission of fake documents.

The organisations said that with the treaty in place it is difficult to differentiate between an Indian and a non-Indian enrolling in the State voter�s list. Moreover, the State must seek exemption from some of the guidelines of the EC during the process of registration in the voter�s list.

The Khasi Students� Union president, Daniel Khyriem said that it is difficult to differentiate between an Indian and a non-Indian Nepali. �If the treaty cannot be scrapped then Meghalaya should at least be exempted from its purview,� Khyriem said. The bilateral treaty between India and the Himalayan nation allows the free movement of people and goods from both nation.

Meanwhile, last evening, after a high level meeting convened by Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh and Election Minister JA Lyngdoh with senior officials the decision to close the special enrolment cells for voters was taken.

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