Shillong, August 22: The Governments of Meghalaya and Assam on Saturday held a joint meeting at Koinadhara State Guest House to deliberate on developments following the incident in Shillong on August 19 and agreed on a series of measures to ensure the safety of travellers, strengthen coordination and restore normalcy.
The meeting was led by Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Dr. S. Dhar and Assam Minister Atul Bora, along with senior officials of both State Governments. After more than three hours of deliberations, the two sides arrived at several key decisions.
The Meghalaya Government expressed regret over the August 19 incident and assured that strong action would be taken against those involved. It informed the meeting that the President, Vice-President and General Secretary of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) had been arrested under the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act.
The Meghalaya Government also stated that 15 FIRs had so far been registered in connection with the incident. Five masked persons had been identified for their alleged involvement, particularly in attacks on Assam-registered vehicles.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to identify all those involved in the violence, particularly those responsible for attacks on Assam-registered vehicles, and ensure prosecution in accordance with law.
On the movement of stranded vehicles, the meeting was informed that more than 3,770 Assam-registered vehicles had already been safely escorted out of Meghalaya into Assam. The Assam Control Room had received 54 distress calls involving 175 persons, including 22 private vehicles and five tourist vehicles, who were being assisted in evacuation.
The Meghalaya Control Room, meanwhile, had received 379 distress calls, with steps being taken to facilitate the safe transit of those affected.
The two governments further noted that most stranded travellers and vehicles, including around 400–500 vehicles that had earlier been held up in Meghalaya, had successfully crossed key transit corridors, including the Umiam Lake section.
It was decided that any passenger or vehicle still awaiting transfer to Assam would be safely escorted within the next 48 hours, with a dedicated exercise to facilitate every tourist or vehicle wishing to return to Assam.
The governments also agreed to establish a dedicated coordination mechanism between the 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 persons.
A dedicated WhatsApp number and landline were provided for coordination: +91 91810 14888 and 0361-2381-511. The mechanism will remain operational until the situation is fully normalised.
At the district level, permanent joint committees comprising the Deputy Commissioner, Nongpoh, and the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metropolitan, along with police officers from both districts, will be constituted to address day-to-day issues along the inter-State border.
The two States will also constitute a joint committee comprising Commissioner/Secretary-level Transport authorities and representatives of tourist vehicle associations to facilitate and regulate tourist transport and safeguard the shared tourism interests of Assam and Meghalaya.
Both governments agreed to take necessary measures to ensure safe transit for vehicles travelling between different parts of Assam through Meghalaya, including movement from the Barak Valley, as well as for people travelling between different parts of Meghalaya through Assam.
The Meghalaya Government reiterated that it would take responsibility for the safety and security of tourists and vehicles travelling from Assam and other parts of the country into Meghalaya, during their stay and movement within the State.
