Forest office vandalised on Assam-Meghalaya border, vehicles restricted

TIL Desk/National/NE/ A group of villagers from Meghalaya vandalised and burnt down a forest office in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district, soon after six people were killed in violence that occurred in a disputed area along the border between the two states, officials claimed on Wednesday.

Armed with machetes, rods and sticks, residents of Mukroh village in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district gathered in front of a beat office under the Kheroni Forest Range in Assam along the inter-state border on Tuesday night and set the structure on fire.

The mob vandalised the forest office and torched properties such as furniture, documents and motorcycles parked in the complex, the officials said. However, no injury to the forest personnel posted there has been reported so far, one of the officials told. The villagers had left the area before a team of policemen and other security personnel reached the spot, he said.

Following reports of attacks on vehicles from Assam in Meghalaya, the Assam Police continued to advise car owners to avoid entering the neighbouring state for safety. At various points to enter Meghalaya from Assam, including at Guwahati and Cachar district, the police personnel put up barricades and asked people not to travel to the hill state in a vehicle bearing a number plate from Assam.