Shillong: The North Garo Hills district administration has banned weapons, unlawful assemblies and group movement towards West Garo Hills following credible inputs that travel through the district could escalate violence.DM Abhishek Saini invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to prohibit carrying lathis, sticks, stones or firearms, and to forbid assemblies of five or more persons near interdistrict boundaries, highways and routes leading to West Garo Hills.Police have been directed to regulate movement and deny entry to anyone suspected of intending to disturb peace.The order excludes officials on duty, security forces, emergency services and those with valid essential purpose justification.On the other hand, West Garo Hills district magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal on Tuesday issued a prohibitory order barring public meetings, processions and unlawful assemblies without prior written permission, following intelligence reports of planned actions that could threaten peace.In the order under Section 163 of the BNSS and the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act, Aggarwal directed that “no person, group, association, or organization shall organize, hold, or participate in any procession, rally, demonstration, public meeting, or assembly without prior written permission”.The order also prohibits assemblies of five or more people intended for protests, the use of loudspeakers or amplifiers in public, and camps, drills or parades without clearance.“Any person…found causing disruption of normal life, preventing public or employee activities, enforcing shutdowns, damaging public or private property, or committing acts subversive of law and order shall be guilty of an offence,” the order states, punishable by three to seven years’ imprisonment and compensation for loss or damage.The directive further bars carrying arms, sticks, rods, stones or any object capable of causing injury or damage in public places linked to prohibited gatherings.Aggarwal said credible intelligence indicates certain groups may act in ways likely to result in disturbance of public peace, obstruction of public movement…or endangerment of human life, requiring immediate preventive measures.
