Northeast Desk, 13th August: In a recent incident, miscreants broke into Meghalaya’s Mawjymbuin Cave to perform religious rituals just before the Meghalaya High Court’s scheduled hearing on August 14 regarding the ban on Hindu devotees offering prayers at the site.
The incident was brought to public attention after a video circulated on social media, showing that religious rituals had been conducted and the lock securing the cave’s entrance had been forcibly broken.
This incident comes amidst ongoing controversy over the High Court of Meghalaya’s temporary restriction on access to the cave, a decision made in response to the escalating tensions surrounding the ban on Hindu prayers at the site.
The court has scheduled August 14 for further hearings in the case, aiming to reach a resolution between the Hindu organization ‘Yatra’ and the Dorbar Shnong of Mawsynram, the local governing body that implemented the ban.
Earlier, the Assam-based Hindu organization Kutumba Surakshya Parishad (KSP) had threatened a road blockade against Meghalaya following the ban on Hindu worship at the cave. The Mawjymbuin Cave is renowned for its natural stone formation, which Hindu devotees believe resembles a ‘Shiva Linga.’
As the court date approaches, this latest development adds another layer of complexity to the already sensitive issue, raising concerns about the potential for further unrest in the region.