GUWAHATI: The Governments of Assam and Meghalaya held a high-level joint meeting on Saturday at the Koinadhara State Guest House in Shillong to deliberate on the fallout of the violence that broke out on August 19, targeting Assam-registered vehicles and their occupants. The meeting, which lasted more than three hours, was led by Meghalaya's Deputy Chief Minister, S. Dhar, and Assam's Minister, Atul Bora, and was attended by senior officers of both state governments.
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Opening the joint media statement, Deputy Chief Minister Dr. S. Dhar said senior officials from both states had taken part in the deliberations. He conveyed the Meghalaya government's sincere regret over the August 19 incident and gave an assurance that strong action would be taken against those found involved.
He informed the media that the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act had been invoked, and that individuals involved in the violence had already been arrested under it. According to the official press brief issued after the meeting, five masked persons have so far been identified as being involved in the attacks on Assam-registered vehicles on August 19, and 15 FIRs have been registered so far in connection with the incident, with the arrest of the Vice-President and General Secretary of the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) among those held.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to identify all miscreants involved in the violence in Shillong and to ensure their prosecution in accordance with law, targeting those responsible for the attacks on Assam-registered vehicles.
On the movement of stranded travellers and vehicles, Dr. Dhar said more than 3,700 Assam-registered vehicles have already been safely escorted out of Meghalaya into Assam so far, as per the press brief. He added that most of the stranded vehicles, approximately 400–500 that were held up in Meghalaya, including those that were earlier stranded at the Umiam Lake section, have now successfully crossed key transit corridors.
The government said the evacuation of the remaining stranded travellers and vehicles would be completed within the next 48 hours, with every passenger or vehicle yet to be transferred being safely escorted and transferred within this period. A dedicated exercise will also be undertaken to ensure that every tourist or vehicle wishing to return to Assam is facilitated and safely escorted.
The press brief noted that the Assam Control Room has received 379 distress calls so far, and steps have been taken to assist those in transit. Separately, it stated that the Assam Control Room has received 54 distress calls involving 175 persons, who are being assisted in evacuation, these include 22 private vehicles and 5 tourist vehicles.
To ensure smooth coordination between the two states, a dedicated coordination mechanism is being established through a HOTLINE between the Inspector General (IG), Special Branch, Assam, and the IG, Law & Order, Meghalaya, along with dedicated helplines. An online support forum will also be activated to assist in locating and facilitating stranded individuals. The helpline numbers shared are: WhatsApp: +91 810 14 888; Landline: 0361-2381-511
Officials clarified that this mechanism will remain operational until the situation is fully normalised.
Joint Committees for Long-Term Coordination
To institutionalise coordination between the two states going forward, several joint bodies are being set up:
1. A permanent district-level joint committee, comprising the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metropolitan, and the Deputy Commissioner, Nongpoh, along with police officers of the corresponding level from both districts, to resolve day-to-day issues arising along the inter-state border promptly.
2. A joint committee on tourist transport, comprising the Commissioner/Secretary-level Transport authorities of both states, along with representatives of tourist vehicle associations, to facilitate and regulate tourist transport movement and safeguard the shared tourism interests of Assam and Meghalaya. This is expected to take shape as a joint committee of cab drivers from both states, tasked with finding a mechanism for the free flow of people and tourists.
3. A commitment for safe transit through both states, with the Governments of Assam and Meghalaya agreeing to take all necessary measures to ensure safe and secure transit arrangements for vehicles travelling from the southern parts of Assam to other parts of Assam through the Barak Valley via Meghalaya, and similarly for movement from the Barak Valley through Meghalaya to other parts of Assam. Necessary arrangements will also be made for people travelling from Meghalaya to other parts of Assam.
The Meghalaya government reiterated that the state government will take responsibility for the safety and security of all tourists and vehicles travelling from Assam and other parts of the country into Meghalaya, during their stay and movement within the state.
Speaking after Dr. Dhar, Assam's Atul Bora described the meeting as a long, threadbare discussion lasting about three hours, and read out the same joint statement in Assamese for the benefit of the media. He said the Meghalaya government had given an assurance that no such incident would be allowed to recur in the future.
Reflecting on the sentiments behind the unrest, Bora acknowledged that the protestors' concerns were genuine, and expressed hope that they would cooperate in helping normalise the situation, in the larger interest of the people of both states.
Addressing concerns over the damage caused to vehicles during the violence, the Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister assured that the government would compensate the losses suffered by owners of the cars and vehicles affected in the incident.
The joint meeting comes three days after the August 19 incident in Shillong, in which Assam-registered vehicles came under attack, leading to widespread panic among Assam-registered vehicle owners, tourists, and travellers stranded in Meghalaya. The developments prompted both state governments to intervene at the highest level to de-escalate tensions, ensure the safe return of stranded vehicles and passengers, and put in place mechanisms to prevent a recurrence.
Both governments indicated that the newly constituted committees, the SIT probe, and the hotline mechanism would remain in place and under review until normalcy is fully restored in the border districts and along key inter-state transit routes.