After a brief lull, violence erupted again in parts of Meghalaya on Thursday, as masked men stabbed a non-tribal person in the capital Shillong and damaged vehicles.
The person who sustained stab wounds was identified as Sanidul Islam, 21, of Barpeta district in Assam. He was attacked at Mawkhar in the city.
East Khasi Hills district’s Superintendent of Police Claudia A. Lyngwa said he was stabbed in the stomach by two unidentified persons in the afternoon. “He was attacked in a lane as he was going to a shop where he works. He is now out of danger after treatment at a hospital,” she said.
Senior police officers said security forces were mounting round-the-clock vigil in the areas of Shillong that have a mixed population. The attack happened when the curfew in the vulnerable areas was relaxed for seven hours. It was preceded by miscreants stoning a car on the outskirts of the city.
On Thursday, the violence spread to the adjoining Ri-Bhoi district, with reports of minor clashes and an attempted torching of a vehicle after it was damaged. The night curfew is still in force in parts of Shillong and other affected areas of East Khasi Hills. However, mobile Internet and messaging services were restored after they were suspended in six districts of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills regions on the night of February 28.
