Assam lifts Meghalaya travel restrictions days after Mukroh violence
Speaking to ANI, DCP Sudhakar Singh from the Guwahati City Police said on Sunday that the police removed barricades in the Jorabat area along the Assam-Meghalaya border and allowed all vehicles to enter Meghalaya.
Assam on Sunday lifted travel restrictions to Meghalaya, days after they were imposed following violence at the Mukroh village along the Assam-Meghalaya border on Tuesday in which six people were killed, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking to ANI, DCP Sudhakar Singh from the Guwahati City Police said on Sunday that the police removed barricades in the Jorabat area along the Assam-Meghalaya border and allowed all vehicles to enter Meghalaya.
The lifting of travel restrictions comes two days after Assam Police allowed goods-laden trucks to enter Meghalaya, the first time since tensions broke out between the two states. However, only vehicles with Meghalaya's registration were allowed entry.
The police had earlier advised vehicles with Assam registration plates not to enter Meghalaya as they could be targeted.
Six people were killed and several others were injured during the violence on Tuesday between villagers and a contingent comprising police and forest guards from Assam. The clash erupted after a truck laden with illegally felled timber was intercepted by the contingent.
The six deceased included five from Meghalaya and one from Assam Forest guard personnel.
Two days after the violence, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that the clash was not related to any boundary issue. "Just to clarify that incident has nothing to do with the border, the way it is reported in national media. It was basically a clash between villagers and police regarding certain forest timbers," Sarma said on Thursday, ANI reported.
(With agency inputs)