Shillong Unrest: Amidst the Curfew, Citizens Just Want Peace

Rikynti Marwein and others from Shillong appeal for peace between the two communities.

(Photo Courtesy: Rikynti Marwein)

As Shillong continues to simmer, all its citizens want is peace. Things took a drastic turn in Meghalaya’s capital on 1 June, when a confrontation between two communities (Khasi and Sikh) turned violent.

RedInk awardee Rikynti Marwein sent a My Report for The Quint from Shillong, appealing for peace and asking them not to believe in fake news and rumours generated on social media.

Rikynti is joined by others from Shillong who have voiced their concerns about fake news.

The news that a local had succumbed to his injuries in the violence went viral on social media leading to communal tension. Soon, internet services were disrupted in the city to halt the spread of these rumours.

It all started when two versions of the story emerged from the city. One version held that a bus driver of the Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) was beaten up for harassing a girl in the Punjabi Lane of the Mophran area of Shillong. However, The Shillong Times claimed that a government-owned bus hit the girl and then the driver verbally abused her.

Soon, the two groups came on the streets and started pelted stones at each other.

Rikynti Marwein, My Report.