Violence in Shillong: Police booth torched, bus attacked in protest against Mukroh firing

Meghalaya's capital Shillong remained tense even on Thursday with unidentified persons torching a traffic police booth and attacking a city bus, apparently to protest the killing of five Meghalaya residents due to firing by Assam police and forest guards on Tuesday at Mukroh village along Assam-Meghalaya border.

Miscreants also tried to set the bus on fire near Shillong civil hospital and pelted stones. The security forces resorted to lathi charge in order to disperse the mob.

The incident took place on a day when a delegation of the Meghalaya government led by CM Conrad K Sangma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought a CBI inquiry into Tuesday's firing. Sangma said the Assam government also requested a CBI inquiry and Shah assured that the Centre would conduct a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Five residents of Mukroh village in West Jaintia Hills district and a home guard from Assam died after a team of Assam police and forest guards opened fire. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the police fired after the locals tried to attack them following the interception of a vehicle illegally transporting timber from neighbouring West Karbi Anglong district in Assam. Meghalaya CM, however, called it an unprovoked firing and "excess use of power" by the Assam forces.

Following the incident, a vehicle with an Assam registration number was set on fire on Tuesday at Shillong while stones were pelted at some other vehicles. The Assam government has stopped all Shillong-bound vehicles at Jorabat near Guwahati as part of precautionary measures. Mobile internet has remained shut in Shillong and parts of Meghalaya.

Doubt over border talks:

Many rejoiced when Assam and Meghalaya inked an agreement in March and ended the 50-year-old disputes at six out of 12 locations in the inter-state border but Tuesday's violence has raised doubts over negotiations to similarly end the disputes in the remaining locations too. Although Assam CM has stated that the incident had nothing to do with the border issues, Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma said that the process has become complicated after the violence. Ministers of the two neighbouring states were supposed to meet soon for the next round of talks in order to meet the Centre's deadline of 2014 to end the border disputes.

As anger against the killings spilt onto the streets, the Assam government set up a judicial inquiry by a retired judge of Gauhati High Court, Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan to inquire into the firing incident. The commission will submit its report in two months.