Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court hammered state police on Wednesday, September 2, for moving too slow on arrests after a violent bike rally rocked Shillong. Chief Justice Tevati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh blasted the force for booking just four suspects despite reports that hundreds joined the vandalism and assaults.
The bench took up the matter through a suo motu PIL. Investigators told the court they have logged 22 FIRs across five stations: four at Shillong Sadar, nine at Rynjah, seven at Mawlai, and one each at Laitumkhrah and Lumdiengjri. Police currently have four Khasi Students Union leaders in custody and have seized two vehicles linked to the chaos. Detectives are also grinding through data from eight mobile phones and CCTV feeds pulled from 27 different spots.
The judges remained unimpressed by the police response. They questioned why officers allowed the rally to continue after participants clearly broke district-mandated conditions. The court demanded to know if the procession was filmed from the start and whether officers actually tried to stop the beatings and property damage. The bench told the Inspector General of Police that those responsible for the attacks must face justice. "Those who assaulted people or damaged property should not go unpunished," the court stated.
The court now requires the Inspector General of Police, the East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, and the officers-in-charge of the Shillong Sadar and Lumdiengjri stations to appear in person for a follow-up hearing on September 7. They must deliver a detailed progress report on the hunt for the remaining mob members.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 10:31am
The court took a hard look at the rally's origins, noting that participants ignored clear conditions. Riders wore masks, carried sticks and dangerous weapons, and obscured their vehicle license plates, all in direct defiance of the rules. Judges pointed out that if officers had acted to shut down the procession at the first sign of these breaches, the subsequent trashing of property and physical attacks could have been prevented.
The bench explicitly questioned whether the force followed Supreme Court guidelines laid out in the case of Tehseen S. Poonawalla versus Union of India regarding mob violence. The court also identified that a Special Investigation Team is now running the show under Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Davis N.R. Marak. The hearing, registered as PIL number 16/2026, confirmed that the unrest involved the vandalism of statues and widespread paralysis of city life.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 2:00pm
The court specifically highlighted the August 19 date of the violence. Judges also noted that organizers had given an explicit undertaking to avoid masks and face coverings, a promise that went out the window as riders masked up and hit the streets.
Beyond the masks, the court pointed to the failure to stop riders who openly defied conditions by carrying sticks and dangerous weapons. License plates on several two-wheelers were also covered, a move that masked the identities of the participants while they tore through the city.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 2:31pm
The Advocate General confirmed the ongoing probe is leaning on call detail records retrieved from eight suspect mobile numbers to map out the conspiracy. The investigation is officially being handled by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the direct supervision of Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Davis N.R. Marak.
The court has ordered that its observations be handed directly to the SIT chief. Judges want the team to stop dragging its feet and move to establish the specific roles of the mob members involved in the citywide paralysis, statue vandalism, and public assaults that marred the August 19 rally.
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