Twenty persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack on Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s office in Tura town of West Garo Hills district on Monday night, a senior police official told Scroll.
Two of those arrested are Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mahila Morcha functionaries – Belina M Marak and Dilche Ch Marak – reported PTI.
Five police officials were injured in the attack after a mob threw stones at the Mini Secretariat in Tura, set a police vehicle on fire and vandalised two fire tenders.
At the time of the attack, Sangma was holding a meeting with civil society groups of the Garo community who have been holding a hunger strike to demand that Tura be declared the state’s winter capital. At present, the state capital Shillong is located in East Khasi Hills district.
On Tuesday, a senior police official told PTI that at least 21 vehicles were damaged in the attack. The official said that the police are also looking for two Trinamool Congress leaders who allegedly instigated the mob.
Meanwhile, Sangma has announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured policemen.
The police have said that while some people were protesting for a winter capital, a large number of other people mingled with them and started throwing stones. The police then resorted to a baton-charge to attempt to control the crowd.
After the violence, the Meghalaya government imposed a restriction on large gatherings in Tura under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. A complete curfew will be in place between 9 pm and 5 am.
However, shops opened and vehicles were seen on the road, reported PTI.
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