Night curfew lifted in West Garo Hills

Shillong: Night curfew has been completely lifted from the West Garo Hills with normalcy being restored in the district.“Under review of the current situation, it is observed that normalcy has substantially been restored and the law-and-order situation is presently under control,” district magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal said.In his order on April 1, the DM said it is “considered expedient and in the interest of public convenience” that the “restriction be withdrawn”.Night curfew had been imposed under Section 163 of BNSS on March 19 in the wake of widespread protests in the West Garo Hills against participation of non-tribals in elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC). Two persons had died in the wake of unrest and violence in the district.Subsequently, on March 24, the governor approved rules amended by the GHADC making the possession of Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for candidates contesting elections in the tribal council, which was welcomed by the state govt and the general public.With the withdrawal of curfew, public movement, functioning of shops, commercial establishments, and other lawful activities have been allowed to resume across the district, subject to compliance with existing laws and regulations.