Tura, March 12 Hundreds of people came out of their homes on Thursday to clean the streets of Tura town in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills, after it was rocked by violence during protests related to elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, resulting in the death of two people.
The curfew imposed in Meghalaya's East and West Garo Hills districts following the violence on Tuesday and Wednesday was relaxed for a few hours on Thursday to allow people to procure essential items, officials said.
The curfew in East Garo Hills was relaxed for five hours from 8 am to 1 pm, while in West Garo Hills, it was relaxed for two hours from 2 pm to 4 pm.
During this brief window, a large number of young people, including women, took to the streets with brooms to clear the debris left behind after incidents of arson and property damage in parts of the Garo Hills region.
Many were seen sweeping roads, removing burnt materials from the streets, and cleaning up market areas.
Several residents of Tura town also kept watch throughout Wednesday night as a precautionary measure.
"We cannot sit at home and watch our town in this condition. It is our responsibility to clean and rebuild Tura," said B Sangma, a resident of the Araimile locality.
"Kudos to the people for their efforts in cleaning up the town after the violence, and for promoting civic duty," another local resident said.
The curfew was imposed in the two districts under Section 163 of the BNSS, after violence erupted in West Garo Hills during protests related to elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), with demonstrators opposing the participation of non-Garo communities in the filing of nominations for the polls.
Two people were killed and several others were injured when police opened fire to disperse a mob during clashes in the Chibinang area on Tuesday, officials said.
The unrest led to incidents of arson and property damage in parts of the Garo Hills region, prompting authorities to deploy additional security forces, including five columns of the Army – three in Tura town and two in Chibinang – to restore order.