Assam-Meghalaya border violence: Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, said Thursday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured him that he will act on his request for a central agency to investigate “firing by Assam Police” along the state’s border.
During his meeting with Mr. Shah, he also demanded justice for the lives lost in the shooting and action against those responsible, he told reporters in New Delhi.
The delegation briefed Amit Shah on the killing of six people by Assam Police on Tuesday in Mukroh, West Jaintia Hills.
Following the meeting, Conrad K Sangma tweeted that the union home minister agreed to launch an investigation into the killing of Mukroh by a central agency.
Met Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Sh. @AmitShah Ji today with our Cabinet colleagues to apprise him about the unfortunate firing incident in Mukroh village that claimed 6 precious lives.@narendramodi @himantabiswa pic.twitter.com/hAKF1H8vfx
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) November 24, 2022
Following the outbreak of violence in Shillong, Meghalaya’s government has decided to extend the suspension of mobile internet and data for another 48 hours. According to an official statement, the suspension has been imposed in seven districts.
The suspension, which began at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, has been extended for 48 hours in the districts of West Jaintia Hills, East Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri – Bhoi, Eastern West Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, and South West Khasi Hills.
Several groups had called for a candlelight vigil in the capital, but it quickly devolved into chaos as protesters destroyed public property despite leaders’ best efforts to calm the situation.
Angry protesters hurled stones and petrol bombs at police officers stationed at Barik Point, prompting security forces to use tear gas to prevent further escalation in violence.
Following the heinous murder of five farmers at the hands of the Assam Police, the entire state of Meghalaya has been on edge.
Tensions rose in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong on Thursday evening after miscreants set fire to a traffic booth and attacked three police vehicles, including a city bus. “Reports of arson and damage to vehicles with Assam registration from various parts of Shillong and other pockets of Jaintia Hills Districts have been received from Police Headquarters,” the official statement confirmed.
The incident occurred on November 22 during a candlelight vigil organised by some groups to protest the violence on the Assam-Meghalaya border. Six people were killed in a shooting incident in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district, including five Meghalaya residents and an Assam Forest Guard member.
Four civilians were assaulted, and three police officers were mistreated, resulting in minor injuries. One of the injured civilians was taken to a hospital in the city.
One police-requisitioned bus and a police Gypsy were vandalised during the melee. There were also attempts to set fire to a police-requisitioned bus.
A traffic booth in Shillong Civil Hospital was vandalised, and attempts were made to torch advertisement banners in the area.
