Garo Hills districts
Meghalaya, India
30 Sept ‘05

Police have shot and killed up to 12 student protesters in the north east province of India. Protesters claim that the shots fired from police without just cause. Over forty other protesters, and over fifty police officers were injured.

The Achik tribe, who are the second largest tribe in Meghalaya, have been staging protests concerning a government decision to move the Meghalaya State Education Board from Tura to Shillong.

The Achik tribe fears thier interests will not be served with the Board being in a city controled by the Hynniewtrep tribe. The majority of Achik people are baptists, were as the Hynniewtrep are Presbyterian or Roman Catholic.

Meghalaya has only been an autonomous state within India’s Assam state since 1970. Locals issues within any state of India being controlled outside the region are prone to political corruption historically.

Police claim unknown students attacked them by throwing stones, as a result police felt they were required to open fire on the crowd after they refused to leave following baton charges and water canons