The president of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), Roy Kupar Synrem, along with four senior leaders of the organisation, appeared before a local court in Shillong on Tuesday after being summoned in connection with a protest at NEIGRIHMS earlier this year.
Speaking outside the court, Synrem confirmed that the case stems from the April 4 protest when HYC members marched to the office of the Director of NEIGRIHMS to demand clarity on issues concerning job opportunities for local and indigenous youths of Meghalaya.
“We have come today in the district and session court after receiving summons from the court of the judicial magistrate first class here in Shillong. After coming to court, we have received copies and came to learn that regarding the protest program that was held on the 4th of April this year, where our members went to the office of the director of NEIGRIHMS on that day to seek clarification as well as to seek to demand from him to reply regarding the various issues that were raised by the organisation prior to that day,” Synrem said.
He explained that the issues raised were related to job opportunities for local indigenous youth. “We have given an ultimatum to NEIGRIHMS to reply to our demands within seven days’ time. After the ultimatum ended on the 3rd of April 2025, on the 4th of April we went with an intention to meet the director of NEIGRIHMS and to seek clarification from him and a reply from him as to why he has not replied to our demands. Why he has not given us any clarification,” he said.
According to Synrem, HYC members and supporters were initially stopped from entering the administration block but later met the director. “We went inside the room of the director and we requested him to please come outside of your room so that you can explain to our members and to our supporters as to what happened to our demands. Voluntarily, he came outside of his chamber. When he reached outside, he informed that the letter or the reply was ready, that it will be handed over to us on that particular day itself. And after one and a half hour that we waited there, the reply came and it was delivered to us. And after getting the reply again, we went on to meet the director along with his official in the conference room and the meeting ended cordially.”
The HYC chief, however, expressed surprise over the legal proceedings. “Sadly today we came to know after serving of the summon and we appeared before the honourable court. We came to know that an FIR was filed against us and not only an FIR, even the chargesheet was filed by the police department within a period of two months. When the incident happened on the 4th of April, in the June of this month itself, the police has only filed the chargesheet against five leaders of HYC including myself as president, vice president, general secretary, secretary as well as the education secretary.”
He added, “There were many provisions of the BNSS that were charged against us. One is the criminal intimidation, which they alleged that we have criminally intimidated the director of NEIGRIHMS as well as the staff. We have also been alleged of committing an offensive criminal trespass and assault. And then we have also been alleged to have prevented the director of NEIGRIHMS from doing his duty as a public servant. So these are the sections that have been alleged to have been committed by us. And today we have come and appeared before honourable court after knowing this, we have received copies of the chargesheet and all other documents.”
Despite the case, Synrem affirmed HYC’s stand. “We stand by our decision that HYC will stand for the welfare of the local, of the indigenous youth. We will stand to fight for the interest of the people of the state. These kind of cases, FIRs, complaints against us will not deter us from our responsibility. We have a responsibility towards our people, we have a responsibility to our communities and HYC will continue to do this.”
