Heavy security deployment was witnessed around the Main Secretariat ahead of the Voice of the People’s Party’s (VPP) peaceful march on Thursday morning.
The East Khasi Hills district administration and police put in place elaborate security arrangements following the party’s announcement of a march towards the Secretariat.
Police personnel were deployed at strategic locations leading to the Secretariat, while iron barricades were erected along approach roads to regulate the movement of protesters and vehicles.
The barricades were arranged to allow demonstrators to assemble on one side of the road while ensuring smooth traffic flow on the other side. Security forces maintained a strict vigil around the Secretariat complex to prevent any breach of law and order.
As part of precautionary measures, tear gas squads and other crowd-control equipment were kept on standby to deal with any untoward situation during the march.