A fresh clash between Rabhas and Garos on Tuesday morning forced the administration to revoke its decision to relax curfew in ethnic violence-hit Resubelpara sub-division of Meghalaya.
East Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi said the administration had decided to relax curfew for three hours from noon, but it was revoked after a fresh confrontation at Bakrakura in Mendipathar. He said some Rabha refugees had tried to move to their village at Bakrakura when a Garo group confronted them, leading to a confrontation.
Police personnel had to rush there to defuse the tension.
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Tension prevailed in some pockets due to some rumours doing the rounds. “Unconfirmed reports of incidents on Assam side were reaching here, resulting in tension on the Meghalaya side,” Mr. Bakshi said.
Reports of anti-Rabha posters being put up were also coming from Tura, the district headquarter town of neighbouring West Garo Hills district.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya DGP S. B. Kakati and Principal Secretary (Home) C. D. Kynjing were huddled in a meeting with their Assam counterparts and a Home Ministry team led by joint secretary Shambhu Singh in Guwahati.
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A decision on joint patrolling by police personnel of both States is expected to be taken at the meeting which will review the prevailing situation and steps taken to control the violence.
At least nine people have been killed and around 50,000 displaced in the ethnic violence than began on January 1.
Altogether 103 people have been arrested and 25 cases of attempted arson and rioting registered so far in the ethnic violence-hit areas of Meghalaya, Mr. Kakati said.
Around 26 villages have been affected in Meghalaya and some 1500 houses burnt.