Five miscreants from Assam assulting taxi drivers arrested

Shillong: Meghalaya Police on Friday arrested five miscreants from Assam’s Guwahati who allegedly fled the city after physically assaulting two taxi drivers at Police Bazaar Point in Shillong on Thursday night.

The five were arrested by the East Khasi Hills Police in Guwahati with the help of Dispur Police.
The two taxi drivers were brutally beaten up by miscreants on Thursday evening after which the Meghalaya Taxi Association went on strike, giving a one-day ultimatum to the police and demanding the arrest of the culprits.

Commuters had to find other means of transport on Friday as local taxis staged protests in Mothphran and Khyndailad.
A group of miscreants attacked one Iohborlang Kharsohnoh (27) of Jongksha and Banshai Syiem (25) of Laitkor at Police Bazar Point on Thursday night, injuring both the victims, East Khasi Hills Police said in a press statement. And he was taken to Civil Hospital Shillong for medical treatment.

However, following the successful arrest of five persons, the association has called off its protest and announced the resumption of local taxi services from Saturday.

Earlier, the President of East Khasi Hills Local Taxi Welfare Association, Wandonbok Jyrwa, told the media that they will protest till the culprits involved are arrested.
According to East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Sylvester Nongtnger, police have arrested the five miscreants from Guwahati with the support of Guwahati police.

Asked if these people were picked up from Harijan Colony, Sylvester clarified that he had earlier picked up some people from Harijan Colony for questioning but the five miscreants involved in yesterday’s attack were arrested from Guwahati.

The SP further said that the matter is being investigated.
He appealed to the citizens to remain calm and said that a case has been registered in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, hawkers ran for their lives in the Police Bazaar area on Friday evening as some of the protesting taxi drivers marched into the crowd. However, with tight security already in place in the area, the police managed to stop them from proceeding. Taxi association leaders calmed the crowd and urged them to disperse as their demands, which were the arrest of the culprits, were met.
What worried the taxi drivers was that, according to eyewitnesses, the CRPF on duty in Khendilad on Thursday night nabbed five miscreants but then let them go. As a result, local taxi drivers vandalized police property at Sadar police station.