Curfew relaxed for 3 hours in some areas of Meghalaya capital

Curfew has been relaxed for three hours in some areas of the Meghalaya capital on Tuesday following improvement in law and order, an order issued by the district administration said.

The curfew has been relaxed from 12 noon to 3 pm in Police Bazar area, and those under Lumdiengjri police station and Cantonment Beat House in the state capital, an order issued by East Khasi Hills district magistrate Matsiewdor W Nongbri said.

Indefinite curfew was imposed in the areas on Saturday following clashes between tribals and non-tribal groups that claimed three lives, officials said. The district authorities have promulgated night curfew in the entire city and its adjoining areas from 9 pm on Tuesday till 6 am on Wednesday to prevent recurrence of any untoward incident.

The indefinite curfew will, however, continue in Iew Duh market and Motphran areas as the situation was still vulnerable and tense, it said. The clashes had broken out between Khasi Students Union (KSU) members and non-tribals during a rally organised against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to demand implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), at Ichamati on Friday.

Mobile internet and messaging services remain withdrawn in six districts of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region till 10 pm on Tuesday or receipt of further orders. Police said, there was no untoward incident in the East Khasi Hills district during curfew hours on Monday night and the situation was limping back to normalcy.

Eight people have been arrested and a magisterial inquiry has been instituted to probe into the incident, police said. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has appealed to stakeholders to refrain from retaliating in the wake of the clashes.

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