Tura, March 10: Two persons were killed and several others injured after police opened fire to disperse a marauding mob of several hundred people that set shops on fire and allegedly attacked law enforcement personnel at Chibinang town in the Phulbari plains belt of West Garo Hills.
Two people were killed in the firing late last night at Chibinang, West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Abraham T. Sangma informed. The district police chief is currently camping at Chibinang and has called for additional reinforcements to be deployed in the area. A mob of several hundred people reportedly descended on the Chibinang market area, clashing with police, which led to the firing.
Hours earlier, a mob had set fire to the office of the Garo Students’ Union and several adjoining shops at Chibinang market in retaliation for the Tura incident.
The situation spiralled out of control after two non-tribal candidates, including former Phulbari MLA Esmatur Mominin, were attacked inside the Tura DC office when they arrived to file their nomination papers for the GHADC elections. Garo pressure groups had earlier announced their opposition to the participation of non-tribals in the council polls.
Violence quickly spread to Tura market, where shopkeepers from one community were attacked and forced to down their shutters. Amid the chaos, the Imam of the Tura Masjid was also reportedly manhandled by a group of unidentified men, further escalating tensions across the plains belt region.
The West Garo Hills district administration has imposed a 24-hour curfew from midnight. However, due to the shutdown of internet services, many residents were initially unaware of the order, resulting in Tura and other towns opening for normal work in the morning.
At the time of filing this report, public announcements were being made across Tura and nearby towns, with police reinforcing the curfew order.
Internet services across all five districts of Garo Hills have been suspended for 48 hours from 10 am today to curb the spread of fake news and misinformation
