The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) staged a protest on Tuesday, marching towards the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in Rilbong against the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion Facilitation (MSIPF) Act 2024 and other issues. However, security forces halted them at Garrison Bridge. The protest was fuelled by concerns over the MSIPF Act, which KSU claims threatens the tribal community and violates the Meghalaya Land Transfer Regulation Act, 1971.
The government recently introduced an amendment-the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion & Facilitation (Amendment) Bill 2025-removing paragraph 34 and adding a clause stating that the Act would not override the Land Transfer Act. However, KSU remains unconvinced and demands its complete repeal. KSU General Secretary Donald Thabah emphasised that under MSIPF, tribals risk losing their land, which he equated to losing their very existence.
He criticised the concept of land banks, warning that leasing vast land tracts to private investors would lead to the dispossession of indigenous communities. The protest also opposed the introduction of railways in Meghalaya, with Thabah questioning claims that rail connectivity would lower essential commodity prices. Comparing Shillong’s proximity to Guwahati (100 km) and Imphal (300 km), he argued that essential goods are cheaper in Manipur despite the state lacking railways, raising doubts about the railway’s economic benefits.