Meghalaya: Curfew imposed amid clashes between KSU and non-tribals; internet suspended

The Meghalaya administration has imposed a curfew in Shillong and adjoining areas and suspended internet services in six districts of the Eastern Range as a precautionary measure. The imposition of curfew comes after the clashes that broke out in East Khasi Hills between Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the non-tribals.

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The Governor of Meghalaya Tathagata Roy took to Twitter to appeal to citizens of the state to maintain law and order and not to fall for rumours and refrain from spreading it.

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The Reason

Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) had called for a meeting at Ichamati on Friday afternoon to discuss the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Inner Line Permit (ILP). The meeting led to the clashes between KSU members and local non-tribals of the area.

The state police has alleged that KSU members burnt a haystack at the edge of the market and also attempted to burn a house. In retaliation, the non-tribals pelted stones on the bus carrying the KSU members. A taxi that had gone to receive the KSU members from Ichamati market was damaged in the clashes and four of the KSU members were injured. The driver of the taxi succumbed to injuries, after which the curfew was imposed in the eastern range.

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The internet services have been suspended in East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts. The suspension will remain effective for 48 hours with effect from 10 pm on February 28. The decision was taken to prevent misuse of the messaging system like SMS, WhatsApp and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. However, SMS of all mobile services will be limited to five SMS per day.

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