Traffic between Assam and Meghalaya was disrupted, after Guwahati-based cab operators blocked National Highway-27 for vehicles from the hill state, protesting against alleged attacks on people from Assam during a students’ rally in Shillong.
Hundreds of passengers and Meghalaya-registered vehicles were stranded near the Assam-Meghalaya border, after the cab operators blocked the highway to voice displeasure over the violent incidents that took place during a bike rally by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in Shillong a day earlier.
At least 31 vehicles, mostly government SUVs, were damaged, and several pedestrians were reportedly assaulted, officials said.
Assam commercial vehicle drivers stopped Meghalaya-registered vehicles at Jorabat and Khanapara on the interstate border, disrupting traffic between Guwahati and Shillong.
Passengers coming from Meghalaya deboarded at Jorabat and took Assam taxis to proceed towards their destinations, while Meghalaya taxis leaving the city were allowed to go without customers.
“They were assaulting us selectively and their police were just watching as if we were in a different country. And, this was not the first time that Assam drivers were assaulted. We have faced this discrimination many times,” a cab operator in Guwahati claimed, referring to incidents during the KSU bike rally.
The Assam State Drivers’ Union condemned the violence, and said vehicles from Assam have faced similar attacks in Meghalaya in the past.
An officer of Guwahati Police said the agitators damaged one Meghalaya-registered taxi at Khanapara, but the situation was immediately brought under control.
The Shillong rally was part of the KSU’s ongoing agitation over a five-point charter of demands, including implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, reforms in recruitment through the Meghalaya Public Service Commission and District Selection Committees (DSCs), and stricter regulation of migrant workers.
