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Bid to torch house foiled in Garo Hills

By The Assam Tribune

SHILLONG, Jan 30 � The authorities thwarted miscreants� attempt to torch a house in the ethnic-riot hit East Garo Hills district of Meghalaya and scotched rumours on time to prevent any flare-up, officials said today.

A portion of the house at Mendipathar was damaged before the security personnel and villagers trooped in and chased away the miscreants last evening. East Garo Hills deputy commissioner Pravin Bakshi said mischief mongers wanted to disturb the peace but their attempt was foiled.

A heavy deployment of security forces led by a company of CRPF personnel took control of the area immediately after the incident.

Representatives of the Rabha National Council in Assam visited Mendipathar today to look into the aspects leading to the flare-up and the steps being taken for reconciliation by the two communities.

BSF, deployed in the ethnic riot-hit areas, organised a friendly cricket match between teams from Bajengdoba and Mendipather-Resubelpara comprising both Garos and Rabhas. The Rabha delegation is also expected to motivate the displaced people to return to their homes in time for the start of the final stage of the Census operation beginning February 8.

Twelve people were killed and around 50,000 displaced in the ethnic riot between January 1-10 in Meghalaya�s East Garo Hills and neighbouring Assam�s Goalpara districts.

The recovery of three corpses in Goalpara on last Thursday prompted the East Garo Hills administration to sound a high alert to prevent any repercussion.

The high alert was sounded in Meghalaya�s East Garo Hills district following the recovery of three bodies in neighbouring Goalpara district of Assam, believed to be victims of recent ethnic clashes, a senior official said.

Ever since the ethnic flare-up between the Rabha and Garo communities in the area on January 1, the situation was gradually getting back to normal since mid-January, officials said. Some 2,500 people displaced in the ten-day clashes are still sheltered in ten relief camps in the district.

About 8,000 Rabha people of Meghalaya who fled to Assam during the clashes are likely to be repatriated to new relief camps to be set up in Meghalaya, till their rehabilitation. The ethnic violence has claimed 12 lives so far. � PTI

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