Death toll rises to three 1 more killed in Meghalaya violence

Guwahati/Shillong, Mar 1
One more person was killed in Meghalaya early on Sunday taking the total number of deaths in the ongoing violence against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and demand for the imposition of Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime to three.
According to a bulletin issued by Meghalaya police on Sunday morning, Uphas Uddin, 37, died after he was attacked by three unidentified people at his house in Pyrken village in Shella of East Khasi Hills district.
“He was brought to Khamati civil health centre but the doctor declared him brought dead,” said the bulletin adding that the incident took place around 2.45 am on Sunday.
Despite a curfew in Shillong and adjoining areas and deployment of additional security forces, stray incidents of violence continued for the third day.
Police said that some time around 3.15 am on Sunday “some non-tribal carpenters who were staying at Umtrew in Ri Bhoi district ran away from their homes into the forest after they saw some local boys approaching in two buses. They have returned to their homes”.
In another incident in the early hours of Sunday, Rajua Karim, 31, who hails from Phulbari in West Garo Hills, was assaulted by some unknown people at Mawthabah in Mawsynram. He has been admitted to North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEGRIHMS).
An employee of Meghalaya Basin Development Agency, Karim had been living in Sawlad of Madanrting for the past six years, said the police.
Late on Saturday, a petrol bomb was hurled at the residential compound of Lakshmi Bareh at Pynthorbah in Shillong. No one was injured and no property damaged in the attack, said the police bulletin.
“We request citizens to exercise restraint and not to believe unverified information,” it added.
On Saturday, one person was killed and nine were injured when a group of unidentified persons went on a stabbing spree at Shillong’s busy Bara Bazar area.
The present spate of violence started after the death of a local taxi driver Lurshai Hynniewta, 35, on Friday in a clash between members of Khasi Students Union and non-tribals in the Ichamati area of East Khasi Hills district after a meeting to oppose CAA and seek implementation of ILP in the State.
Most of Meghalaya is exempted from CAA’s purview as almost the entire State comes under provision of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Local tribal groups have been demanding imposition of ILP, which regulates the entry of outsiders to the State.
Following Friday’s incident, curfew was imposed in several areas in Shillong and mobile internet services banned in six districts as a precautionary measure.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma appealed to all citizens including different social organisations to refrain from any kind of violence and ensure that peace and tranquillity are restored at the earliest.
He said eight people have been arrested in connection to the killing of the taxi driver at Ichamati and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the victim’s family. Sangma stated that a magisterial inquiry into the incident has also been ordered.
In order to help stranded tourists reach safe destinations in the midst of the prevailing situation, Meghalaya police have launched a tollfree phone service and asked them to contact 1800-345-3846 for assistance.
Hindustan Times