Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 22 (ANI): The Assam and Meghalaya governments on Saturday held a joint meeting in Guwahati to review the situation following the violent incident in Shillong on August 19, with Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister S Dhar assuring that strong action would be taken against those responsible.
The more than three-hour meeting was held at State Guest House No. 1 at Koinadhara, Khanapara, in the presence of Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora, Dhar, chief secretaries and senior officials of both states.
Several vehicles, including a few Assam-registered vehicles, were damaged by some protesters in Shillong on Wednesday during a black flag bike rally organised by Khasi Students' Union, which turned violent with reports of stone pelting, attacks on vehicles, and arson at different parts of Shillong.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Dhar said the Meghalaya government regretted the incident and assured Assam that action would be taken against the culprits. He said the Meghalaya Police had arrested top leaders of the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) and 15 FIRs had so far been registered in connection with the incident.
Bora said the meeting was held following directions from the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya. He said the Meghalaya government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify all those involved in the violence, particularly those responsible for attacks on Assam-registered vehicles.
According to Bora, 3,770 Assam-registered vehicles had been safely escorted out of Meghalaya and into Assam following the incident.
"Assam Control Room received 54 distress calls involving 174 people. 379 distress calls were received by the Meghalaya government so far," Bora said.
He added that both governments had agreed to establish a dedicated coordination mechanism involving the IGP (Special Branch) of Assam Police and the IGP (Law and Order) of Meghalaya Police, along with dedicated helplines. The mechanism will remain operational until the situation is fully normalised.
Bora also said permanent district-level joint committees and a joint committee on tourist transport would be constituted to improve coordination between the two states.
The Assam minister further said the Meghalaya government had informed them that five masked miscreants allegedly involved in the August 19 incident had been identified.
Meanwhile, protests by the Assam Drivers' Association and other organisations continued at Jorahat along the Assam-Meghalaya border on Saturday. Protesters did not allow Meghalaya-registered vehicles to enter Assam from the Meghalaya side and demanded that both governments ensure the safety and security of people and vehicles travelling in Meghalaya.
Appealing for calm, Bora urged people of both states to maintain peace and tranquillity.
Dhar described Assam and Meghalaya as "brother and sister" states and said the meeting was aimed at bringing back normalcy. He said compensation would be provided for damaged vehicles as per law and expressed hope that normalcy would return shortly. He also said the evacuation process would be completed within 48 hours. (ANI)
Assam, Meghalaya hold joint meet over Shillong violence; 15 FIRs registered, SIT probe underway
