The District Administration of West Garo Hills has imposed Section 144 and night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am in Tura town, after at least five security personnel were injured in a mob clash when over thousand people attacked Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s office in Tura on Monday.
The violence erupted during the peaceful meeting between Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and NGOs at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Tura when protestors suddenly started pelting stones and damaged the windows of the CM Secretariat Office and in the process, five personnel including one SOT personnel were injured.
The meeting took a tumultuous turn when a group of protestors resorted to pelting stones at the CMO building and security personnel, and attempted to break open the gate on Monday evening.
District Magistrate West Garo Hills Jagdish Chelani under section 144 CrPC Assembly or gathering of five or more than five persons at a place at any time in the public space or in the Government offices.
Police resorted to firing tear gas to disperse the crowd, but the mob still continued to pelt stones towards the CM Secretariat Office.
Being under siege for hours as his Tura office was gheraoed, Sangma has now reached his residence, unharmed. The chief minister remained in his compound for a long time as protestors had blocked the roads, posing a security threat.
Earlier, during the meeting, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday invited the protesting civil bodies including ACHIK, GHSMC and others for a talk in Shillong scheduled tentatively on August 8th or 9th.
Holding a meeting with GHSMC and other organisations spearheading the hunger strike at CMO Tura, Sangma invited all protesting organisations to come for a detailed discussion on winter capital and job reservation in presence of other cabinet ministers and stakeholders.
He has also appealed to the protesting organisation to call off their strike and come forward for discussion.
ACHIK has been on a 13-day hunger strike over the twin demands of setting up a Winter Capital in Tura as well as the clearance of backlog of jobs meant for the Garo community.