Situation improving, curfew may be eased in Shillong

The situation in trouble-torn Shillong limped back to normal today and curfew restriction is likely to be eased further, a senior district official said, a week after clashes broke out in the Meghalaya capital.

Suspension of messaging services has been withdrawn, but mobile internet is still blocked, Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, PS Dkhar, told PTI.

"Curfew restrictions is likely to be eased further considering that the situation by and large remained peaceful during the day and shops and business establishments in the affected areas have also returned to normal," he said.

Curfew was relaxed for nine hours in the 14 affected areas of the state capital from 7 am to 4 pm, with no incident of violence reported during the curfew hours for the fourth day today, Dkhar said.

The entire city was again clamped under curfew from 8 pm, while it resumed at 4 pm in the 14 affected areas, Dkhar said, adding it would be relaxed between 5 am and 7 am respectively tomorrow, the DC said.

Shillong had been in the grip of violence following the assault of a bus handyman and his two friends by Sikh residents in the Punjabi Lane area of the city.

The Meghalaya government's high-level committee directed the Directorate of Land Records and Survey to conduct a fresh survey of the Punjabi Lane area, also called the Sweeper's Colony, to find out who actually own the land in which Sikh people live.

Fresh land survey of the area is required to get clarity on the ownership of the land since one portion of it belongs to the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and another to the tribal Mylliem chieftain, said Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is chairman of the committee.

The Directorate has been given 10 days time to complete the survey, he said, adding that neither the SMB, the Mylliem chief (Syiem) nor the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has a detailed map of the area.