States » EastPosted at: Sep 27 2026 7:26PM


Banks forced closed on Sunday by pressure groups across Christian-majority Meghalaya

Shillong, Sep 27 (UNI) Banks across Meghalaya were forced to close down on Sunday after pressure groups launched a state-wide enforcement drive to oppose the Centre’s order to keep public sector and regional rural banks operational ahead of a three-day nationwide bank strike.
The groups asserted that Sundays were exclusively for people to worship and offer prayers in churches and also to spend family time in the Christian-majority tribal state.
The union Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India had ordered public sector and regional rural banks to function normally on Sunday to prevent disruptions ahead of the nationwide bank strike scheduled from September 28 to 30.
Nevertheless, maintaining that Sunday held religious significance in Meghalaya, with the majority adhering to Christian faith, several pressure groups, including Khasi Students’ union (KSU), Garo Students’ union (GSU), Jaintia Students union (JSU), Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisation, Achik Youth Welfare Association, closed branches of public sector banks in Shillong, Tura, Jowai and other places across all 12 districts of the state.
“Sunday is a sacred day and holds special meaning for Christian believers in our land. The closure was necessary to protect the day of worship in a state where the majority of the population is Christian,” KSU Assistant Information and Publicity Secretary Pynshngain Lyngdoh Lyngkhoi said.
Lyngkhoi also appealed to all banking institutions to respect the sanctity of the day, ensuring that employees are granted time to spend with their families and observe their religious duties.
FKJGP Garo Hills Zone President Pritam Arengh contended that the RBI’s order went against the religious sentiments of the people of Meghalaya, as the majority of the state's population is Christian.
“We are very concerned [about] the rising targeting of Christian dates. In the past, the central government has even designated 25th December—which is Christmas—as ‘Good Governance Day’ and called for the functioning of offices on [that sacred day], which Christians believe [to be] the birth date of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Arengh pointed out.
The FKJGP leader, however, maintained that the various groups disallowed the functioning of banks on Sunday to demonstrate that they could not remain “silent spectators” when their religious sentiments were allegedly targeted.
“We assure other communities that we bear no grudge against them, but rather against policies that target Christians and our religious sentiments,” Arengh underscored. UNI RRK SAS
Tags: #Banks forced closed on Sunday by pressure groups across Christian-majority Meghalaya
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