hundreds-stranded-as-assam-cab-drivers-block-highway

Hundreds of passengers and vehicles were stranded near the Assam-Meghalaya border on Thursday after cab operators and transport workers blocked the highway connecting the two states in protest against the targeting of people from Assam during violence in Shillong a day earlier. Protesters gathered in Jorabat and prevented Meghalaya-registered vehicles from entering Assam.

 

As tensions mounted, Meghalaya-registered vehicles heading towards Assam were stopped and turned back. Assam tourist cab drivers allegedly chased, attacked and vandalised Meghalaya-registered vehicles.

 

The violence was triggered during a “black-flag” motorcycle rally by a student organisation demanding recruitment reforms and implementation of security acts. Protesters vandalised and set ablaze vehicles, including those with Assam registration numbers, and damaged a glass panel of a statue of philosopher Swami Vivekananda.

 

The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) organised the rally as it stepped up its agitation against what it called the state government’s indifferent attitude towards its five-point charter of demands, including the full implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, which was passed in 2016 to check illegal infiltration and verify tenants, until an Inner Line Permit system (ILP) is put in place. An ILP allows an Indian citizen to visit protected or restricted areas in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.

 

Protesters In Assam alleged that Assam-registered vehicles were targeted during the KSU rally. They said they will not allow Meghalaya-registered cars to enter until action is taken over the attacks on their vehicles in Shillong. “What happened on Wednesday was a clear attack on people from Assam, and it has to be answered,” a protester said.

 

The Assam Police deployed additional forces near the Meghalaya border. The protesters said they are allowing essential services, including ambulances, to pass.

 

Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Police arrested three KSU leaders in connection with the violence during the KSU’s black flag bike rally in Shillong. A Shillong court remanded them to 14 days in judicial custody.