Shillong, Feb 16 : Truckers and their supporters set ablaze a Meghalaya Transport Corporation bus this morning at Shallang’s coal belt area in West Khasi Hills district, 180km from here, prompting police to send forces.
According to the police, the bus was torched possibly to avenge the attack on coal-laden trucks by residents of Rongjeng in East Garo Hills district yesterday.
Rongjeng shares a boundary with Shallang and other coal-rich areas of West Khasi Hills district.
The superintendent of police, West Khasi Hills, M. Kharkrang, along with other police personnel are camping in Shallang after the incident.
Kharkrang held a meeting with the people of the area to maintain peace.
The police said the bus was set on fire at Shallang around 9am but no one was injured.
It was coming to Shillong from Williamnagar in East Garo Hills via Shallang in West Khasi Hills.
Yesterday in the afternoon, the truck drivers and the helpers were injured when their coal-laden vehicles were pelted with stones which could have triggered today’s violence, a police officer said.
He said a case had been registered and those involved in the two incidents would be arrested.
Transport services to Shallang and adjoining areas were stopped for sometime as a precautionary measure.
Residents of Rongjeng want truckers not to ply on narrow roads in the area on the ground that spillover of coal from the trucks could damage the roads.
They instead want them to find an alternate route to reach Guwahati.
As the truckers refused to heed to their demand, they were pelted with stones yesterday.
The truckers had, however, in the past alleged that they had been facing harassment as very often they became victims of extortion.
The police are also investigating whether extortionists were involved in yesterday’s attack on the truckers.
As the East Garo Hills and the West Khasi Hills boundaries are coal-rich areas, the thriving coal business in Shallang and other adjoining areas is very often hampered by extortion carried out by the militants and criminals.
The short-staffed West Khasi Hills police are finding it difficult to check extortion.