Assam-Meghalaya road blockade after Shillong rally violence; three KSU leaders arrested
Vehicular movement between Guwahati and Shillong was disrupted on Thursday after Assam-based transporters began a blockade in response to a violent students' rally in Shillong a day earlier. The Assam State Drivers' Association (ASDA) stopped the entry and exit of Meghalaya-registered vehicles along the arterial Guwahati-Shillong road at Jorabat, which lies on the border between the two states. However, ambulances and vehicles carrying patients were allowed to pass. Meghalaya Police vehicles also had to turn back.
The blockade followed the arrest of three leaders of the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) in connection with Wednesday's violence during the organisation's black-flag bike rally in Shillong. The arrested leaders are KSU president Raymond Kharjana, vice president Pynkmenlang Sanmiet, and general secretary Reuben Najiar. East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the raids were conducted at the KSU office and the three were taken into custody.
According to reports, participants in the rally, many wearing masks and riding bikes with covered registration plates, attacked bystanders with sticks and iron rods, smashed vehicle windows and lights, and set one vehicle on fire. A majority of the 31 vehicles targeted were registered in Assam, and many of those assaulted were non-locals and non-tribal people. A bust of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and a glass case containing a statue of Swami Vivekananda were also damaged. Late at night, two vehicles reportedly attached to the High Court of Meghalaya were attacked in separate incidents.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal said the police action was necessary to convey that Shillong was not comfortable with what had happened. He noted that the KSU had been permitted to hold the rally after assurances that past incidents would not be repeated. “The conditions were violated through a series of vandalism, arson, and assault,” he said.
The KSU organised the rally after the expiry of its 15-day ultimatum to the state government to act on its five-point charter of demands. These include full implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016, and the introduction of an Inner-Line Permit system, which requires non-residents to carry a temporary travel permit. However, the organisation later apologised for Wednesday's incident and suspended its next phase of agitation.
The attack on Assam-registered vehicles, mostly carrying tourists, has affected Meghalaya's tourism sector. Many visitors turned back halfway from Shillong, and hotels and homestays reported large-scale cancellations. Some non-tribal people in the northeastern region have appealed to tourists, especially from West Bengal, to avoid visiting Meghalaya, while some in Assam have called for a boycott of the state as a weekend destination for at least six months.
Six organisations representing tour operators, tour guides, hoteliers, and rural tourism cooperatives in Meghalaya condemned the violence in a joint statement. They said they fully respect the democratic right to express grievances but stressed that protests must remain peaceful and not be exploited by anti-social elements. The organisations noted that about 30% of Meghalaya's population depends on tourism, and such incidents could seriously damage the state's reputation as a safe and welcoming destination.
