GUWAHATI | The fallout from the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) “Black Flag” motorcycle rally in Shillong escalated on Thursday, with Assam-based taxi and commercial vehicle drivers blocking traffic towards Meghalaya at Khanapara and Jorabat. The protest followed allegations of stone-pelting, vandalism and assaults on motorists and passengers during the rally in Shillong on Wednesday evening.

The Assam State Drivers’ Association alleged that vehicles bearing Assam registration numbers were specifically targeted. In a statement issued on Thursday, the association demanded an apology from Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and Tourism Minister Timothy D. Shira, along with compensation for those affected.

The drivers also sought a written assurance from the Meghalaya government regarding the safety of Assamese drivers and vehicles travelling in the state. “We demand action against those responsible and a written assurance on the safety of Assamese drivers and vehicles travelling in Meghalaya,” the association said.

Association president Dhrubaraj Axom said the incident was not an isolated case involving Assam-registered vehicles and drivers. “Is going to Meghalaya a crime for tourists? We want the Meghalaya government to understand that we are not weak. We want a written safety assurance from the Meghalaya government,” he said.

Tourist driver Amar Das, who claimed to have witnessed the violence, alleged that attackers identified Assam vehicles by checking their registration numbers before targeting them. “Some of our people are in hospital and passengers were injured by broken glass. The attackers checked the number plates before targeting our vehicles and pelted them with stones.

They even climbed onto the vehicles and assaulted people,” Das alleged. The drivers’ association, however, stressed that its protest was directed against the alleged violence and not against the people of Meghalaya. “We do not want the longstanding ties between the people of Assam and Meghalaya to be damaged, but would not remain silent over attacks on our members,” it said.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police detained three senior KSU leaders – president Raymond Kharjana, vice-president Pynkmenlang Sanmiet and general secretary Reuben Najiar – in connection with the alleged vandalism during the rally. Before his detention, KSU general secretary Reuben Najiar denied involvement by members of the organisation and blamed what he described as “negative elements” for the violence. He alleged that people with vested interests had entered the rally with the intention of disrupting the KSU’s agitation.

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem confirmed that several people were assaulted and injured during the violence. “Stone-pelting and vandalism were reported from different parts of Shillong, with both government and privately owned vehicles targeted,” Syiem said.

He added that busts of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the Relief and Rehabilita tion Colony were also vandalised. According to the SP, the three KSU leaders were booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in connection with alleged damage to public property, assaults and other offences during the rally. The KSU’s “Black Flag” rally was organised as part of its ongoing agitation over a five-point charter of demands.

The demands include implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, recruitment reforms involving the Meghalaya Public Service Commission and District Selection Committees, and stricter regulation of migrant workers. The developments have raised concerns along the Assam-Meghalaya border, with the drivers’ blockade threatening to disrupt movement between the neighbouring states. Authorities now face the challenge of containing the fallout while ensuring the safety of travellers and preventing the incident from affecting the longstanding social and economic ties between Assam and Meghalaya.