LOCALITIES UNDER CURFEW
Jaiaw, Mawkhar, Umsohsun, Riatsamthiah, Wahingdoh, Mission, Mawprem, Lumdiengjri, Lamavilla, Qualapatty, Wahthapbru, Sunny Hill, Cantonment, Boucher Road and Mawlong Hat (excluding localities beyond Umshyrpi bridge).
Police Bazar, Jail Road, Keating Road and Polo.
SHILLONG: The sudden spurt in violence in the city on Thursday afternoon over CAB coupled with the continued standoff between the protesters and the police compelled the government to declare curfew in major pockets of Shillong from 10 pm.
Police used teargas after protesters resorted to stone pelting targeting the police personnel at Motphran on Thursday evening.
The curfew was declared in the whole of Jaiaw, Mawkhar, Umsohsun, Riatsamthiah, Wahingdoh, Mission, Mawprem, Lumdiengjri, Lamavilla, Qualapatty, Wahthapbru, Sunny Hill, Cantonment, Boucher Road and Mawlong Hat (excluding localities beyond Umshyrpi bridge). It was also enforced in Police Bazar, Jail Road, Keating Road and Polo.
According to the district magistrate, M War, the order was necessitated in view of the information received that there was a serious deterioration of law and order in areas under Sadar and Lumdiengjri police stations with reports of arson and vandalism causing destruction to property and targeting vehicles in these locations.
“Whereas, these activities are likely to continue with every likelihood of causing serious breach of peace and tranquility and may lead to loss of life and property from today and the days to follow,” the order said.
The situation in Shillong was normal till afternoon but suddenly a group of miscreants torched a vehicle in Police Bazar during the day. The miscreants also ransacked shops in the surrounding areas after which there was complete chaos.
The miscreants set fire to one Maruti Swift car (ML05 N 6001) parked near Hanumanbux Motilal in Police Bazar around 3.10 pm. There were no police personnel in the area unlike other days.
Following the incident, people were seen running for safety and within minutes, shops in Police Bazar and Bara Bazar were closed.
Later, the district administration rushed in police personnel to different areas of the city.
More vehicles were also torched in Jaiaw area. Miscreants set fire to a Maruti Van (ML10 B 1717) near Jaiaw Presbyterian Church around 4 pm and a scooty (ML05 N 6604) near Mahari petrol pump, Jaiaw Langsning.
Police personnel picked up a few boys from Police Bazar for writing slogans about CAB at Khyndailad.
In the evening, protesters who came in large numbers started pelting stones at police personnel at Motphran and later they burnt tyres. The police used teargas to disperse them.
All the senior police officials of the district were camping at Motphran to disperse the youths.
A police report said that around 12.18 am on Thursday, miscreants burnt tyres on the road at Madanrting Bazar and there were incidents of tyre burning at Umkdait, Nongmynsong and Mawiong Rim.
On the same day around 1 am, miscreants also set fire to haystack belonging to Sanjay Ray at Lad-Shyiap, Block-IV. However, due to timely arrival of the fire tenders, only 10 percent of the haystack was burnt.
Miscreants also lobbed petrol bomb at the residence of Pratul Deka at Upper Kench’s Trace in the early hours of Thursday.
The fire partially damaged the house as the tenants doused the fire. Deka, who is an old resident of the area, was out of station.
Again around 1.12 am, goons set fire to a scrap godown belonging to Mannan Ali at Madanrting, Block-A. However, due to the timely arrival of the fire tenders, the fire was brought under control.
Earlier on Wednesday night, miscreants attempted to set fire to one vegetable shop belonging to Bimal Paul at R&R Colony, Rynjah. Later, personnel of fire service extinguished the fire.
Miscreants vandalised the shop of a person, R Pariat. An angry Pariat said he opened the shop only two months back.
Fire Brigade march
Earlier, anti-CAB protesters and pro-ILP activists took to the streets from Madan Iewrynghep, Fire Brigade till Motphran.
The groups consisted of both male and female activists who shouted slogans against the Centre and the state government and demanded for ILP.
Due to the sporadic cases of violence starting from Khyndailad, which spread to Motphran, Jaiaw and Mawlai, people started to rush home while some who live on the outskirts of Shillong faced a hard time.
Though there was hardly any movement of vehicles in Motphran and Khyndailad, traffic was abuzz from Barik Point.
The protesters from Fire Brigade navigated through the congested road which was packed with cars. They took the Boucher Road route that was deserted and dark as most of the street lights were out. The protesters had to use torchlights.
They then went up to Motphran and on the way their shouts of Hoi kiw filled the air with the security forces barricading the entrance to Harijan Colony.
They were greeted with loud cheer by protesters and activists who were already present in Motphran, which later turned into a battle ground.
The protesters started throwing stones and burnt wooden carton boxes.
Meanwhile, the crowd tried to move away to attend the street meeting organised by Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) at YMCA, Mawkhar but they came back.
Anger against Agatha
The walls of the erstwhile Meghalaya Legislative Assembly were defaced by some people who expressed anger at NPP MP from Tura Agatha Sangma for supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB).
The words on the wall read, “No CAB, shame on you Agatha (NPP)”, and “U can fool some people for sometimes, but you cannot fool all people all the time”.
Sources said that people are angry over Agatha’s stand on CAB though the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma tried to justify it.