Guwahati, Aug 22 (PTI) The Meghalaya government on Saturday expressed regret over the violence during a recent students’ rally in Shillong, in which Assam residents were allegedly targeted, and assured the safety of travellers, according to a joint statement issued by both states after a ministerial-level meeting here.
The governments of Assam and Meghalaya decided on short- and long-term measures to ease the situation and urged people to cooperate in restoring normalcy.
The statement, issued during a joint press briefing by Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister S Dhar and Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora, said the Meghalaya government had expressed regret over the August 19 incident and assured the safety of people travelling to the hill state.
“The government of Meghalaya has sincerely regretted the unfortunate incident of August 19 in Shillong and assured to take strong action against those who are involved,” it said.
The president, vice-president and general secretary of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), which organised the rally during which the violence took place, have been arrested under the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act.
Fifteen FIRs have so far been registered in connection with the incident, while five masked persons have been identified as allegedly being involved, particularly in attacks on Assam-registered vehicles, the joint statement said.
The Meghalaya government said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe, identify and prosecute those involved in the August 19 violence here, in which 16 people were injured, two vehicles set ablaze and around 31 vehicles damaged, the statement said.
It also said five masked men involved in the violence and random attacks on Assam-registered tourist vehicles have so far been identified.
More than 3,770 Assam-registered vehicles have already been safely escorted out of Meghalaya into Assam, it said.
The Assam Control Room has received 54 distress calls involving 175 people seeking assistance in evacuation. These include 22 private vehicles and five tourist vehicles, the statement said.
The Meghalaya Control Room has received 379 distress calls, and steps have been taken to assist those stranded in making safe transit, it said.
Most stranded travellers and vehicles, including around 400-500 vehicles that were earlier held up in Meghalaya, have crossed key transit corridors, including the Umiam Lake section.
Any passenger or vehicle yet to be transferred to Assam will be safely escorted within the next 48 hours, the statement said.
“A dedicated exercise will be undertaken to ensure that every tourist or vehicle wishing to return to Assam is facilitated and safely escorted,” the statement added.
The meeting decided to establish a dedicated coordination mechanism between the Inspector General, Special Branch, Assam, and the IG, Law and Order, Meghalaya, along with dedicated helplines.
An online support forum will also be activated to assist in locating and facilitating stranded individuals, with the numbers 9181014888 (WhatsApp) and 0361-2381-511 (landline).
This mechanism shall remain operational until the situation is fully normalised, the statement added.
As part of long-term measures, permanent district-level joint committees will be constituted comprising the Deputy Commissioner of Nongpoh and the District Commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan, along with police officers of corresponding ranks from both states, to ensure that day-to-day issues along the inter-state border are resolved promptly.
A joint committee comprising commissioner/secretary-level transport authorities of both states and representatives of tourist vehicle associations will also be constituted to facilitate and regulate tourist transport movement and safeguard the shared tourism interests of Assam and Meghalaya.
Both governments will take necessary measures to ensure safe transit for vehicles travelling from southern Assam to other parts of the state, including movement from the Barak Valley through Meghalaya.
Similarly, arrangements will be made for people travelling from Meghalaya to other parts of the state through Assam, the statement said.
“The government of Meghalaya reiterated that it shall take responsibility for the safety and security of all tourists and vehicles travelling from Assam and other parts of the country into Meghalaya, during their stay and movement within the state,” it added.
Both the ministers urged the people to cooperate to restore normalcy, with Bora appealing to the cab operators to call off their traffic blockade against the neighbouring state.
Violence had erupted during a bike rally organised by the Khasi Students’ Union in Shillong on August 19. At least 31 vehicles, including those from Assam, were damaged, 16 people injured and two vehicles set ablaze, the Meghalaya Police had said.
Following the incident, commercial vehicle operators in Guwahati blocked traffic to Meghalaya at Jorabat and Khanapara, the main entry points to the neighbouring state, from Thursday. PTI SSG SSG MNB
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