Meghalaya taxi bodies call off protests

Taxi associations in Meghalaya called off their stir on Sunday (August 23, 2026), a day after their Assam counterparts made a similar decision.

The announcement followed a meeting between representatives of these associations and Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar at the State Secretariat in Shillong.

Mr. Dhar, who met Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora in Guwahati on Saturday (August 22) to ease inter-State tensions, said the two State governments would collect reports on damaged vehicles to ensure compensation for those affected in Meghalaya and Assam.

“Traffic will, henceforth, not be disturbed and people can travel freely,” Mr. Dhar said.

After Saturday’s (August 22) meeting, Assam-based taxi operators and pressure groups called off the blockade against Meghalaya-registered vehicles on the inter-State border. However, their Meghalaya counterparts continued to protest on Sunday (August 23), forcing Assam-registered vehicles to return from Umiam, about 20 km short of Shillong.

Shillong-bound passengers were forced to get off at Umiam and hire Meghalaya-registered vehicles to Shillong at a premium.

The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association, which prevented Assam-registered vehicles from proceeding beyond Umiam during the day, defended its action. “Our main demand was compensation for Meghalaya vehicles damaged in Assam. We called off the protest after the government’s assurance,” a leader of the association said.

Violence during a black-flag bike rally by the Khasi Students’ Union in Shillong on August 19 triggered the stand-off. Masked participants of the rally, armed with stones, sticks, and rods, attacked Meghalaya government and Assam-registered vehicles and assaulted bystanders, mostly non-tribal.

The registration plates of most of the two-wheelers used for the rally were also covered, apparently to prevent the police from identifying their owners or users.

According to the police in Shillong, more than 50 vehicles were damaged or set ablaze, and 16 people were injured in the violence. Three KSU leaders were arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody. The police also identified five masked attackers.