Not Clear How Many Tourists Are Stranded In India Due To Violence

Shillong is a hill station in northeast India

We do not know how many tourists are stranded in Shillong, but we are trying to ensure they can return home safe,” P.S. Dkhar, Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills told local media.

Most of the tourist hotels are in the Police Bazaar area, close to the trouble-torn area.

The army was asked to be on standby and curfew continued in parts of Meghalaya’s capital Shillong for the third day on Saturday after night-long violence during which a mob burnt a shop, a house and damaged at least five vehicles besides injuring a senior police officer. At least 500 people have been given shelter in an army cantonment, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who chaired a high-level meeting on Friday, has appealed for calm.

Curfew in parts of strife-torn Shillong has been relaxed for seven hours on Sunday. The relaxation made people in 14 localities under curfew scramble for essentials and provided a window for stranded tourists to exit the Meghalaya capital.

Shillong is a hill station in northeast India and capital of the state of Meghalaya. It’s known for the manicured gardens at Lady Hydari Park. Nearby, Ward’s Lake is surrounded by walking trails. North, the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures features displays on the region’s native people. Waterfalls include the Elephant Falls to the southwest. East of here, forested Shillong Peak offers city views.

Mr. Dkhar said: “We do not know how many tourists are stranded in Shillong, but we are trying to ensure they can return home safe.”

Most of the tourist hotels are in Police Bazaar area, close to the trouble-torn area.

Shillong has been a popular tourist destination after the 1990s when communal violence – Bengali and Nepali communities were the worst affected then – had much of Meghalaya burning. There were hardly any clashes until last Thursday, triggered by a row over parking of a State transport bus in the Them Iew Mawlong locality, often called Punjabi or Sweeper Lane as well as Harijan Colony.

About 500 residents of the locality, mostly women and children belonging to families of Dalit Sikhs employed as sanitation workers by the municipality, have taken shelter at Shillong’s Garrison Ground under the jurisdiction of Army’s 101 Area.

Local bloggers report a local tribal man had been killed in Punjabi Lane and had triggered the violence on Thursday evening, though the police had earlier in the day contained a minor clash between the driver and conductor of a State transport bus and women of the locality who had thrown stones at the bus for blocking their way to a water source.

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