No internet for 2 days in Meghalaya, indefinite curfew in Shillong amid protest
Shillong: Mobile internet services have been suspended across Meghalaya for the next 48 hours, officials said.
The development comes in the wake of the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.
CVD Diengdoh, additional secretary to the government of Meghalaya (home police) department on Thursday said that mobile Internet and messaging were suspended for 48 hours from 5pm on Thursday in entire Meghalaya to prevent potential threat to public safety through SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The district administration of East Khasi Hills district has imposed curfew in few areas of the city from 10 pm on Thursday night until further orders.
The areas where the curfew will remain effective include areas under Sadar and Lumdiengjri police stations - the whole of Jaiaw, Mawkhar, Umsohsun, Riatsamthiah, Wahingdoh, Mission, Mawprem, Lumdiengjri, Lama Villa, Qualapatty, Wahthapbru, Sunny Hill, Cantonment, Butcher Road, Mawlonghat excluding localities beyond Umshyrpri bridge.
The areas would also include the whole of Khyndai Lad (Police Bazaar), Jail Road, Keatinge Road, and Polo.
The district administration has relaxed the curfew in Assam's Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation area from 8 am to 1 pm as the region returns to normalcy following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) that was passed by the Parliament earlier this week and has now become an act following President's nod.
The decision was taken keeping in mind the inconvenience faced by people in the area.
On Thursday, the suspension of mobile internet services in the state was extended for another 48 hours in 10 districts.
Earlier on Wednesday, Guwahati and Dibrugarh were brought under curfew till further orders in the wake of protests that intensified after the Bill was cleared by the Parliament on Wednesday.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia requested Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami to convene a special session of the house to discuss the concerns of people of the state over the CAB.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged people to maintain peace and asserted that the Central government was committed to implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord to protect the state's cultural and linguistic identity.
Amid the unrest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the people of Assam that "no one can take away their rights, unique identity and beautiful culture".
While two people died in protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Thursday according to Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Assam Director General of Police (In-charge).
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