Shillong, March 13 (IANS). The West Garo Hills district administration has extended the curfew in Tura and the entire district. However, officials said on Friday that on March 14, people will be given a relaxation of six hours to buy essential goods and complete important work.
According to the order issued by West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal on Friday, the curfew imposed under the Indian Civil Defense Code will continue from 6 am on March 14 to 6 am on March 15, unless lifted earlier depending on the law and order situation.
The administration has allowed six hours of relaxation from 9 am to 3 pm on March 14. During this period, people will be able to step out of their homes to buy essential goods, avail basic services and do other important work.
Officials said the curfew was imposed following incidents of violence and disturbance of peace in several areas of the district. According to the administration, the situation posed a serious threat to life, public safety and property, leading to strict precautionary measures.
The district administration says that the purpose of extending the curfew is to keep the situation under control and prevent the tension from escalating further, so that the security agencies get enough time to normalize the situation.
During the curfew, there will be strict restrictions on people leaving their homes except during the relaxation times announced by the administration. Police and executive magistrates have been instructed to maintain strict vigil to maintain law and order.
The administration has warned that action will be taken under Section 223 of the Indian Judicial Code and other relevant laws for violating the curfew order.
It is noteworthy that the unrest had started earlier this week due to the protest against the participation of non-tribal people in the upcoming elections of Garo Hills Autonomous District Council. Later, the demonstrations turned violent at some places, where incidents of vandalism and arson took place.
Earlier on Thursday, Conrad Sangma visited the affected areas and directed the officials to immediately provide food aid to the affected people. He took stock of the situation after talking to the local people and asked the administration to ensure essential supplies in the areas where there is shortage of goods due to unrest.
The state government has postponed the Zilla Parishad elections to be held in Garo Hills district following the violence. Chief Minister Sangma said that in view of the current situation, a decision has been taken to cancel or postpone the local elections for the time being. The government will discuss this issue by calling all political parties and stakeholders and try to find a solution by taking everyone along.
–IANS
AMT/ABM
