Assam eases curbs on traffic along border with Meghalaya
GUWAHATI (ASSAM): In view of improving law and order situation in Meghalaya, the Assam Police on Sunday lifted the restrictions of vehicular movement and started allowing all vehicles to ply on the route to Meghalaya.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of Guwahati City Police, Sudhakar Singh,told ANI that the police removed the barricades in Jorabat area along the Assam-Meghalaya state border and had allowed all vehicles to enter into the neighbouring state.“We have allowed all vehicles to enter into Meghalaya,” Sudhakar Singh said.
The restrictions on vehicular movement, except for vehicles with Meghalaya registration, were put in place after the clashes erupted at Mukroh area along Assam-Meghalaya border on November 22 where six people, including five from Meghalaya and one Assam Forest Guard, were killed in a firing incident.
ANI had reported on Friday that Assam Police allowed the goods-laden trucks to enter Meghalaya, for the first time after tensions rose between the two states following the firing incident along the border on Tuesday, according to an official.
However, only vehicles with Meghalaya’s registration were allowed entry into the state at this time.
The last week’s alleged clash took place in the area bordering the West Karbi Anglong district of Assam and Mukroh village in
Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills.
“Just to clarify that incident has nothing to do with the border, the way it is reported in national media. It was basically a clash between villagers and police regarding certain forest timber,” Assam CM Himanta
Biswa Sarma had told reporters on November 23. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma had on Thursday said Union minister Amit Shah has given firm assurances during a meeting held in Delhi of acting on his request for a CBI probe into the border violence.Sangma had also moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday over the loss of lives in the firing incident, calling it a “clear violation of human rights”.
Several social organisations and student associations of Meghalaya, including the influential Khasi Students Union and the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People, had also declared a “non-cooperation movement” following the incident. Assam and Meghalaya have a long-standing dispute in 12 areas along the 884.9-km-long inter-state border, and the location where the violence took place is one of those.
The two states had signed a memorandum of understanding in March this year towards ending the dispute in six of the areas.