Meghalaya Police have registered 15 FIRs and intensified efforts to identify those involved in violence during the Khasi Students’ Union’s (KSU) black-flag motorcycle rally in Shillong, as the fallout spread to the Assam-Meghalaya border on Thursday.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said 16 people were injured, two vehicles were set ablaze and around 31 government and private vehicles were damaged during Wednesday’s rally. Three senior KSU leaders — president Raymond Kharjana, vice-president Pynkmenlang Sanmiet and general secretary Reuben Najiar — were arrested and subsequently remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody. Police said the cases relate to assaults on civilians, attacks on vehicles, arson and damage to public property. Statues of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were also allegedly vandalised during the unrest.
Border tension escalates
The violence triggered protests on the Assam side of the inter-state border on Thursday, particularly at Jorabat and Khanapara, where taxi and commercial vehicle drivers restricted the movement of Meghalaya-bound vehicles. The protesters were angered by attacks on vehicles bearing Assam registration numbers during the Shillong rally.
The disruption left passengers stranded and affected traffic on the crucial Guwahati-Shillong route. Assam-based drivers demanded security guarantees for vehicles entering Meghalaya, compensation for those whose vehicles were damaged and action against the perpetrators.
Amid the heightened tension, additional security has been mobilised in Meghalaya. Five companies of central forces — four from the CRPF and one from the Rapid Action Force — are being deployed to assist the state police in maintaining law and order until August 25.
The East Khasi Hills administration has also decided to invoke provisions of the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act to recover the cost of damage to public and private property. Permission for another KSU protest scheduled for August 21 has been withdrawn.
Police have separately registered a case over an alleged petrol-bomb attack during a police operation at the KSU office in Shillong’s Jaiaw locality.
KSU denies role in vandalism
The KSU has expressed regret over the violence but denied that its members were responsible for the attacks and arson. Its leadership claimed that people with “vested interests” had infiltrated the rally to derail its agitation and damage the organisation’s reputation. Police, however, are examining video footage and other material to identify individuals involved in specific incidents.
The rally had been permitted subject to conditions and was expected to remain peaceful. It was organised after the expiry of an ultimatum issued by the KSU over a five-point charter of demands.
Among the union’s demands are implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and regulations concerning migrant workers, reforms in government recruitment and action over concerns surrounding recruitment at NEIGRIHMS. The KSU has also sought annulment of the July 31 public hearing for the proposed Shree Cement project in East Jaintia Hills and reiterated its longstanding demand for implementation of the Inner Line Permit in Meghalaya.
Tourism industry voices concern
The violence has also alarmed Meghalaya’s tourism industry, with tourism stakeholders warning that attacks on visitors and outside-state vehicles could hurt the state’s image and livelihoods dependent on travel. Reports of cancellations have emerged following Wednesday’s incidents, prompting tourism authorities to issue assistance measures for travellers.
Police are maintaining an increased presence in Shillong while investigations into the 15 cases continue. Attention is also focused on the Assam-Meghalaya border, where authorities face the immediate challenge of preventing retaliatory protests from escalating into a wider inter-state confrontation.