In fresh violence, governor's carcade attacked in Meghalaya during curfew

Unidentified miscreants hurled petrol bombs at the private residence of the chief minister at Third Mile area of Upper Shillong recently but no one was injured.

Shillong:After a day of no untoward incidents, fresh violence was reported in Meghalaya state capital Shillong during curfew hours on Tuesday when unidentified miscreants attacked the carcade of Governor Satya Pal Malik with stones on its return from Assam after dropping him at an airport there, a Raj Bhavan official said. The governor took a flight to the national capital and safely landed in Delhi.

"Unidentified miscreants pelted the convoy of cars with stones in Mawlai area of the city when it was returning (from Assam). A few vehicles were damaged in the attack but no one was hurt," the official said. Violence erupted in Mawlai and Jaiaw areas of Shillong on Independence Day during the funeral procession of a former militant, who was killed in a recent police encounter, prompting the administration to clamp curfew in the state capital and withdraw mobile internet services in at least four districts.

An officer in the rank of superintendent of police accompanied the governor to the airport and a formal complaint is likely to be filed with the East Khasi Hills district administration on Wednesday, the official said. The curfew will be in force in Shillong till 5 am of August 18. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the curfew will be lifted for daylight hours on Thursday as there were no untoward incidents in the last 24 hours.

Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, the former self-styled general secretary of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), was shot dead in an encounter when the police raided his home in the early hours of August 13. Thangkhiew, who had surrendered in 2018, was shot dead when he allegedly tried to attack a police team with a knife during the raid in connection with a series of IED blasts in the state.

Unidentified miscreants hurled petrol bombs at the private residence of the chief minister at Third Mile area of Upper Shillong on Sunday night but no one was injured. He was at his official Polo Hills residence at that time.

A few hours later, a CRPF vehicle proceeding to control the situation came under attack by a mob who were burning tyres on a road at Mawlai. Two police vehicles were also torched at the two affected areas on Sunday night. The situation remained peaceful on Monday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved deployment of additional central armed paramilitary forces (CAPFs) to assist the state in containing the law and order situation in the state capital. The Meghalaya government on Monday announced a judicial investigation into the encounter killing of the 54-year-old former militant leader.

The state government has also decided to set up a peace committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong comprising representatives of civil society organisations and others as members.

The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission had on Sunday directed Chief Secretary MS Rao to furnish a detailed report on Thangkhiew's death within 15 days.

PTI