Unions resorting to extortion through bandh call: Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Tanga Byaling

NAHARLAGUN: Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Tanga Byaling today expressed concern over mushrooming of unions and organisations throughout the state saying they (unions) are resorting to extortion through bandh calls.

Responding to a question by Congress member Pani Taram during Question Hour on the inaugural day of the six-day state Budget session in the Legislative Assembly here, Byaling said the police department had taken adequate steps to contain the menace of bandh culture.

"No one has the right to curtail the liberty of the people through bandh calls," he said, adding the issues could be settled through negotiation and bandh enforcers should adopt other means of protest including dharnas, instead of bandhs, which badly affect the people.

To a supplementary on why action was not initiated by the government on unions and organisations resorting to extortion, the state Home Minister said the police failed to initiate action for want of written complaints.

Stating that as per available records, there were 5,328 registered societies under the tax and excise and the Registrar of Societies, besides 29 others under the labour commissioner and the registrar of trade unions in the state, Byaling said many organisations were not registered and made absurd demands, which were impossible to fulfil, resulting in bandh calls.

He said there was no specific policy in respect to the unregistered unions and added, "In order to curb the menace of extortion, the state government has made functional an anti-extortion cell at the police headquarters under the SP, Special Investigating Team (SIT)."

BJP member Japu Deru, in a supplementary appreciated the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 2014 enacted by the state government last year and said it should strictly be implemented.

Responding to Deru, Byaling said cases have been registered under the Act.