Curfew relaxed in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills for 5 hours on Thursday

Shillong: The total curfew imposed in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district following the death of two persons in violence in adjoining West Garo Hills district two days ago was relaxed from 8 am to 1 pm on Thursday to allow people to procure essential items, officials said.

The curfew had been imposed in East Garo Hills district under Section 163 of the BNSS following apprehensions of disturbance to public peace and tranquility in the wake of the violence in West Garo Hills.

East Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner R P Marak said the relaxation was allowed to enable residents to procure essential commodities, while security forces continued to maintain vigil in sensitive areas.

Violence erupted in West Garo Hills during protests linked to the elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), with demonstrators opposing the participation of non-Garo communities in the filing of nominations for the polls.

Two persons were killed and several others injured when police opened fire to disperse a mob during clashes in the Chibinang area on Tuesday, officials said.

The unrest also led to incidents of arson and damage to property in parts of the Garo Hills region, prompting authorities to deploy additional security forces, including five columns of the Army -- three in Tura town and two in Chibinang -- to restore order.

In the wake of the violence, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday announced the postponement of the GHADC elections that were scheduled to be held on April 10.

The state government has also suspended mobile internet services across five districts of the Garo Hills region as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of rumours and maintain law and order, officials added.