Curfew was reimposed in Shillong and other parts of the State on Saturday after a person was killed in a marketplace, taking the toll to two in as many days of communal clashes.
The situation in six districts of the State’s eastern half has been tense following Friday’s clash at Ichamati in the East Khasi Hills district between members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and non-tribals during a meeting over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the Inner Line Permit (ILP) that left one person dead and several injured.
Tribal organisations, including the KSU, have been opposing the CAA and demanding the ILP — a temporary permit for outsiders to enter the State — as is mandatory in four other north-eastern States.
Violence erupted again on Saturday morning in Shillong’s Bara Bazar after the curfew was relaxed after 10 hours since the imposition on Friday night. A vegetable vendor was stabbed and at least six others were injured. He succumbed to his injuries later.
The incident made the authorities reimpose curfew. Mobile Internet services remained suspended in six districts since Friday night while SMS services had been limited to five per day.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma assessed the situation at a meeting with Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui and the police and the civil administration. He also met Governor Tathagata Roy and briefed him on the law and order. A probe into Friday’s violence was ordered.
The Governor and the Chief Minister appealed for calm.
“We are taking all steps to restore normalcy. The police and the paramilitary forces have been patrolling vulnerable areas to foil any untoward incident,” Mr. Rymbui said.
East Khasi Hills SP Claudia A. Lyngwa said eight persons, named in the FIR for involvement in Friday’s violence, had been arrested.
The police issued a statement over the violence at Ichamati, which is close to the India-Bangladesh border. Non-tribals are in the majority here.
The police said violence at Ichamati had broken after the meeting the KSU had organised.
“The KSU members burnt a haystack at the edge of the market and attempted to burn a house. The non-tribals retaliated and stoned a bus carrying KSU members... A person driving a local taxi succumbed to his injuries,” the police said in the statement.
