Hundreds stranded as Assam cab drivers block highway to protest Shillong violence
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
Hundreds of passengers and vehicles were stranded near the Assam-Meghalaya border on Thursday after cab operators and transport workers blocked the highway connecting the two states in protest against the targeting of people from Assam during violence in Shillong a day earlier.
Adding to this, Protesters gathered in Jorabat and prevented Meghalaya-registered vehicles from entering Assam. The violence was triggered during a “black-flag” motorcycle rally by an influential student organisation demanding recruitment reforms and implementation of security acts. Protesters vandalised and set ablaze vehicles, including those with Assam registration numbers, and damaged a glass panel of a statue of philosopher Swami Vivekananda.
Meanwhile, The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) organised the rally as it stepped up its agitation against what it called the state government’s indifferent attitude towards its five-point charter of demands, including the full implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, which was passed in 2016 to check illegal infiltration and verify tenants, until an Inner Line Permit system (ILP) is put in place. An ILP allows an Indian citizen to visit protected or restricted areas in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur.
Notably, Assam cab operators shared they prevented Meghalaya-registered vehicles from entering Assam in protest against the violence that left many from their state injured and traumatised. They alleged that drivers and others from Assam were assaulted in the Meghalaya Police’s presence.
As per the latest buzz, “They were assaulting us selectively, and their police were just watching, as if we were in a different country. And this was not the first time that Assam drivers were assaulted. We faced this discrimination many times,” shared a cab operator in Guwahati.
In further updates, In Assam, protesters gathered in Jorabat and prevented Meghalaya-registered vehicles from entering the state. They alleged that Assam-registered vehicles were targeted during the KSU rally. The Assam protesters shared they will not allow Meghalaya-registered cars to enter until action is taken over the attacks on their vehicles in Shillong. “The tourists first come to Guwahati, and then go to Meghalaya. We have faced harassment while taking passengers to Meghalaya. But what happened on Wednesday was a clear attack on people from Assam, and it has to be answered,” a protester shared.
On top of that, In Shillong, KSU activists first staged a demonstration outside the Main Secretariat, putting up banners accusing the government of nepotism and corruption in recruitment. Police removed the banners within minutes and tightened security around the secretariat. One of the banners read: “We study hard, we pass, but at the end of the day jobs are given to those who can bribe.”
The rally followed a series of public meetings across Shillong on Monday and Tuesday. KSU had set a 15-day deadline for the government to act on its demands before taking their agitation to the streets.
Source: Hindustan Times