Guwahati: Assam Police has restricted the movement of vehicles bearing Assam’s registration number to Meghalaya following the violence and killings of 4 people including an Assam forest guard in the West Karbi Anglong district of Assam close to the border with Meghalaya on Tuesday morning.
Police personnel are stopping all vehicles headed for Meghalaya at Jorabat. People from Assam are being barred from traveling to Meghalaya till the situation returns to normal.
According to reports, a timber-carrying truck was asked to stop at a police check post at Moikrang in West Karbi Anglong along the Assam-Meghalaya border around 3 am this morning. The truck did not stop and sped away.
Police chased the truck and managed to stop it by puncturing one of its tyre. Three people were held and brought to Jirikinding.
Speaking to the media, SP West Karbi Anglong Imdad Ali said that he later asked another team of police to bring back the seized timber-laden truck from the location.
On reaching the location the police were attacked by a large crowd armed with sharp weapons and sticks. The police had to resort to firing to save their lives in which the reported deaths took place, police sources said.
A video of the firing incident is also doing the rounds on social media.
The situation is said to be tense.
SP Ali with reinforcement teams has rushed to the location.
The dead forest guard has been identified as Bidya Singh Lekhte. Another forest guard, Abhimanu has been injured in the incident.
The incident comes amid the ongoing border talks between Assam and Meghalaya to solve the decades-long border issue between the two States.
Meghalaya has also taken action, suspending Mobile internet sservice in 7 districts of Meghalaya for 48 hrs to prevent the spread of misinformation and hate speech. The districts are Ri-Bhoi, West Jaintiya Hills , East Jaintiya Hills, East Khasi Hills, Eastern West Khasi Hills and others CM Conrad, meanwhile, has called for an emergency meeting in Meghalaya Secretariat. Further details are awaited.
