Internet Suspended in India’s Meghalaya After Six Killed in Borderline Shootout

The Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya signed an agreement to resolve the five-decade-old border dispute in March. The dispute dates back to 1972 when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam.

Mobile internet services have been snapped in seven districts of India’s Meghalaya state on Tuesday for 48 hours after six people were killed in firing at the border between Assam and Meghalaya.

Meghalaya state chief Conrad Sangma confirmed that five people from Meghalaya and one Assam Forest Guard were killed in the incident.

He further stated that the injured have been rushed to hospital and an inquest is being conducted. “A complaint has also been registered by Meghalaya police,” he added.

The web services have been suspended in West and East Jaintia Hills, East, West and Southwest Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi. The firing was reported in Mukroh area in West Jaintia Hills on the states' border.

A local government statement coined the shootout “an untoward incident [which has] a potential to disturb public peace and tranquility, and cause a threat to public safety."

As such, Meghalaya police cut the internet in order to avoid any escalation and prevent sharing of misinformation on social media platforms.

According to media reports citing eyewitnesses, Assam’s Forest Guard allegedly opened fire on people from Meghalaya when they were returning with timber from a disputed area along the border of the two states.

Reports further stated that the guards first fired at the tires of the vehicles carrying the timber but when they realized that they were outnumbered, they allegedly opened fire on the people.

The incident came months after both state chiefs signed an agreement to resolve the border dispute in six of the 12 contested areas along their 885 km-long border. Later in August, both state chiefs held talks to resolve the dispute in the remaining areas.