SHILLONG: Violence broke out in the election campaign for the Shillong Parliamentary seat in Umsning as supporters of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) clashed with National People’s Party (NPP) workers, creating an atmosphere of unrest and confrontation, on Monday.
The confrontation erupted during a campaign rally led by NPP candidate Ampareen Lyngdoh when VPP supporters began chanting their party slogan, “Ha u Prah”.
This seemingly innocuous act quickly spiralled into verbal altercations, eventually escalating into physical violence as members from both camps engaged in clashes.
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Lyngdoh, the NPP candidate and cabinet minister for the Shillong seat, intervened and urged the VPP supporters to leave the campaign event, criticising the VPP for what she deemed as a party lacking in principles.
“You, the supporters of Prah, please go home. You have got your chance to hold a meeting in this place today afternoon. Please leave and go home to avoid any untoward incidents,” a local daily quoted her as saying.
Despite Lyngdoh’s efforts to defuse the situation, tensions persisted as VPP supporters disrupted another NPP election meeting at Jaiaw Pdengshnong later in the evening.
Their chants of “Ha u Prah” drowned out attempts by NPP state working president Hamletson Dohling to address the gathering, prompting a confrontation between supporters of the two parties.
Although the situation was eventually pacified by elders and women present at the meeting, the gathering was called off before Lyngdoh arrived at the scene.
NPP leader and KHADC CEM, Pyniaid Sing Syiem, called for the arrest of the VPP supporters, accusing them of disrupting the NPP election meetings and disturbing the electoral process.
The VPP is yet to officially comment on the incident.
