NONGPOH: The Khasi Students’ Union’s protest against the railway project at Byrnihat turned violent on Saturday after a group of demonstrators set a dumper and a vibrator roller on fire.
The violence, which started around 1.30pm, occurred in phases and continued till the evening.
Four police personnel and a few workers of the company that is executing the project were injured after they were attacked by members of the Khasi Students’ Union.
The situation flared up during a site inspection by hundreds of KSU members at Ronghuna under Byrnihat police outpost around 1.30pm on Saturday.
The demonstrators pelted stones and damaged heavy vehicles parked at the project site. Police reached the site after one hour.
Later, the Ri Bhoi SP, R.P Singh, spotted the vehicle of the trouble-makers at Shangbangla while on his way to the project site around 3pm. The protesters were on their way to Nongpoh.
The police team that was with Singh started beating up the KSU activists who retaliated by attacking the SP.
gather at Nongpoh police station in the evening. (ST)
KSU has been protesting against the project as they fear that railways will lead to influx of illegal immigrants into the State.
Later, in the evening, the deputy commissioner invited the demonstrators for talks in presence of SP Singh at Nongpoh police station.
Hundreds of sloganeering union members marched to the police station around 5pm to meet Singh and Deputy Commissioner C.P Gotmare.
But the talks turned into arguments when police hinted at arresting the KSU leaders present at the meeting.
The KSU members got out of control and the police and CRPF jawans had to resort to lathi-charge.
The mob dispersed and fled towards the national highway. They pelted stones at the police force.
While the protesters disappeared, the sight of hundreds of men in khaki created panic among commuters and locals who started running fearing lath-charge.
A girl child was separated from her parents in the commotion, sources said.
The president of KSU’s North Khasi Hills unit, Ferdynald Kharkamni, and Son Nongkhlaw, a member of the central body, were later detained. Neither the SP nor the DC was available for comments.
Around 11.30pm, a vehicle repairing shop at Pahamsohthri village under Nongpoh was torched and fire tenders had to be called in.
Meanwhile, the local MDC of Nongpoh, Rona Khymdeit, who also visited the police station, condemned the lathi-charge and said this was the first time in Nongpoh that this kind of incident had happened.