Taxi drivers’ associations from Assam on Thursday staged a blockade in the Jorabat-Khanapara area along the inter-state border in protest against Wednesday’s “unprovoked attack” on Assam-registered vehicles during the ‘black flag’ rally by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in Shillong.
According to reports, members of at least six drivers’ organisations from Assam, staged the blockade on the national highway against the attack in Shillong, intercepting vehicles from and to Meghalaya, including convoys of government vehicles, from morning till evening, and allegedly blocking Guwahati-bound vehicles and forcing them to return.
However, vehicles carrying patients, were reportedly allowed to proceed towards Guwahati.
Raising slogans, members of the taxi drivers’ associations, condemned the alleged attacks on Assam vehicles during the KSU’s black-flag bike rally in Shillong, while calling for a permanent solution to prevent such incidents in future.
The protesting associations alleged that the incident took place as Meghalaya Police failed to take action over the stone-pelting on Assam-registered vehicles, in which some people, including children, were reportedly injured.
They questioned why common citizens from Assam had to bear the brunt of the KSU protest against the Meghalaya government.
The protesting drivers also demanded that the Meghalaya government provide compensation for the Assam vehicles that were allegedly vandalised, as well as bear the medical expenses of those injured in the alleged stone-pelting incident.
Meanwhile, both Assam and Meghalaya governments have deployed security personnel along the Jorabat stretch of the inter-state border to prevent untoward incidents and ensure safety of commuters in the area.
