Videos of Violence at CAA and ILP Agitations in Shillong Emerge

Anti-CAA and pro-ILP protestors ransacking shops in Shillong.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Meghalaya’s capital Shillong is slowly returning to normal after the state Assembly adopted a resolution on 19 December to ask the Central government to implement Inner Line Permit in the state. Since then, the protests have subsided. The curfew has also been relaxed for almost 16 hours in Shillong.

But some new video footage has emerged which gives a sense of the violence that took place in the week between 12 and 19 December, when the agitation was at its peak.

The protests were led by Khasi Students Union (KSU) and the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO). Most of the footage is from CCTV cameras and citizen journalists.

In one video, bike-borne protesters can be seen ransacking small street-side vendors’ shops in the Polo, 4th furlong and Demseiniong areas.

CCTV cameras have captured two instances of protesters assaulting shopkeepers and damaging cars. In another instance, assaults were perpetrated in the parking lot of a private hotel.

Amid the protests, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma visited Police Bazar, the most popular shopping area in Shillong. Because of the protests, just before Christmas, business has taken a hit in the commercial hub of the city.