As Bangladesh plunges into a serious crisis, Meghalaya has imposed night curfew along the India-Bangladesh border from 6 pm to 6 am.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the night curfew will begin from tonight until further orders.
A meeting was convened here today which was attended by Chief Secretary Donald Phillips Wahlang and Director General of Police Iadashisha Nongrang and officials of the state.
The imposition comes after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister and left Dhaka.
Meghalaya shares a 445-km border long with Bangladesh.
Speaking to reporters, Tynsong said night curfew will cover those areas 200 meters from the zero line to prevent movement of persons.
He informed that at present the BSF has been requisitioned about nine battalions of BSF and the centre will depute more paramilitary forces in the future. “As of today there’s no shortage of manpower as far as guarding the international border in the state of Meghalaya,” said Tynsong.
The state government has also instructed the BSF to work with the traditional institutions and to avoid nuisance. “We also urged residents at the international border if they notice any people entering illegally they can inform the authorities for necessary action,” Tynsong added.
In his address to the nation, Bangladesh Army Chief Waker-uz-Zaman confirmed that Sheikh Hasina had resigned as prime minister and that an interim government to run the country. “We will return peace to the country. We ask citizens to stop the violence. We will investigate all killings that have happened over the past few weeks,” the army chief said. “No need for curfew or any emergency in the country will find a solution to the crisis by tonight.”
Hasina’s resignation comes as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Dhaka, a day after clashes between police and protesters. Nearly 100 people, including 14 policemen, were killed and hundreds injured on Sunday in fierce clashes between protesters demanding Hasina’s resignation and the ruling party supporters in different parts of Bangladesh.
The clashes broke out Sunday morning when protesters attending the non-cooperation programme under the banner of the Students Against Discrimination with the one-point demand of the government’s resignation over a job quota system faced opposition from the supporters of the Awami League, Chhatra League, and Jubo League activists.
