SHILLONG, JUL 15: Pynthorumkhrah MLA and BJP leader Alexander Laloo Hek on Wednesday said government offices should not house places of worship.
His statement came a day after the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) locked an alleged illegal temple inside the Central Bureau of Investigation office premises in Shillong and demanded demolition of the same within a week’s time.
Asked for his comment on the KSU’s action, Hek said the issue was not about being “for or against” the move to stop construction.
Instead, he offered his personal view on the broader principle of having worship spaces in workplaces.
“You know the walk of life, all the community will be working in one organization, it should not have any worship place. Worship places should have a separate worship place, not only in the workplace,” Hek said.
” That is secondary for me. But my personal opinion is any work place whether it is in the state government or central government, worship place should be in your own private place only or you can go to the identified worship places, not in public places,” he added.
The legislator argued that government offices are public spaces accessed by people from all communities.
“The government offices are public places. All kinds of public will go there. Why do you want to create unnecessary inconvenience for people who are working in that organization or in any other organizations,” Hek said.
