In wake of the recent protest at NEIGRIHMS, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday expressed deep disappointment over the disruption of hospital operations, drawing a powerful parallel to wartime ethics and underscoring the sanctity of medical institutions. His comments followed a dramatic protest led by the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Friday, where members stormed into the office of NEIGRIHMS Director Prof. Nalin Mehta, demanding an 80:20 female-to-male recruitment ratio and 44 percent reservation for Scheduled Tribes. The protest forced the director to step out and address the demonstrators amid rising tensions.
“My take on this is very simple. Number one, even during times of war, there is always unwritten code that armed forces of any of the countries, never attack the hospitals. I’m very disappointed. I’ll tell you, to see that the operations of hospital were all kind of interfere with,” the Chief Minister said.
“And whatever the reasons may be, at the end of the day, if you do something like that, it is the people and the patients who suffer. And from any point of view, and all humanitarian point of view, this is something that is unacceptable. I’m very clear on that,” he added.
Acknowledging that issues may exist and differences can arise, Sangma emphasised that dialogue has always been the preferred and proven approach. “They can be issues, they can be differences, there are ways to resolve it. Whether it’s a state government, whether it’s a central government or whether it is concerned institute, has never shyed away or closed the doors for any kind of discussion to be done on any issue, we have proved it and shown it in the past.”
Reiterating his openness to engage in dialogue, the Chief Minister made it clear that disrupting hospital services cannot be tolerated. “Also, I will continue to engage in the future. But to intervene and to kind of disturb the functioning of hospital has not been done in the past. And this is something, as I said, I don’t agree with.”
He assured that law enforcement authorities have acted on the matter. “The police has taken note of it from a law and order point of view, the case has been registered and the police is taking steps as per law. As per proof that is. And we will take necessary action on that.”
While stating that the merit of the protestors’ demands was not being dismissed, Sangma was categorical in stating that such actions are unjustifiable. “We have never stopped any discussion on an issue. I’m not saying that the issue raised is not important or is important, but as I said, that does not justify interfering in the operations of a hospital. And if there are concerns, then there are other ways to discuss and address it. But stopping the operations of hospital is not one of them.”