Shillong Autumn Fest recorded low turnout.

Shillong: The popular Shillong Autumn Festival recorded a low turnout this year due to violence in the city, an organizer said on Sunday.

The two-day festival began on Saturday at Umiam Lake.
“Of those who booked tickets online, 70 per cent did not return,” a festival official said.

He said that unlike the previous edition, this time the fair saw a very small crowd.

Thousands of people from other states like Assam and West Bengal attend the festival every year, the official said.

The festival is a major tourist attraction of Meghalaya where local artistes and well-known national and international bands perform.

A rally demanding filling of vacancies in the Meghalaya government turned violent on Friday when participants attacked passers-by with sticks, besides damaging a few vehicles.The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), which organized the rally, deplored the violence.