A candlelight vigil was held at Police Bazar (Khyndailad) on Tuesday evening as members of the Hajong community and civil society groups gathered to demand justice for two Hajong youth whose bodies were found under suspicious circumstances at Nongthymmai.
Speaking on the sidelines of the vigil, Shillong Hajong Students Union President Joti Rani Hajong said she was present “not as president, but as a sister to those who have lost their lives”.
She said people had come “from different communities and different organisations, having come from far away” to express solidarity. “We are expressing our condolences to the departed souls, so that we can show our respect to those who have lost their lives,” she said. Calling the deaths “mysterious” and an “unknown death”, she urged authorities to act.
“So now we just want to request the police and the government to look into the matter seriously, so that they conduct a proper and fair investigation,” she added.
The Meghalaya Hajong Welfare Association (MHWA) also expressed “profound shock and grief” over the deaths. In a press release, MHWA identified the deceased as Late Simanta Hajong, 21, of Ranikor and Late Prinomi Hajong, 22, of Balat.
The association said they died under circumstances that have “raised serious concerns and have caused immense anguish among their family members, relatives, friends, and the public at large”. MHWA described the loss as “tragic and untimely” and said it has “deeply saddened the entire Hajong community and all those who value justice and human dignity”.
MHWA President Jogadish Ch. Hajong extended condolences and said the association “stands in solidarity” with the families. “We pray that the departed souls rest in eternal peace and that their families find the strength to endure this irreparable loss,” he stated.
The association urged the Government of Meghalaya and law enforcement to treat the case with “utmost seriousness and urgency” and demanded a transparent, fast-track probe.