A group of villagers from Meghalaya vandalised and burnt down a forest office in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district, soon after six people were killed in violence that occurred in a disputed area along the border between the two states, officials claimed on Wednesday.

Armed with machetes, rods and sticks, residents of Mukroh village in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district gathered in front of a beat office under the Kheroni Forest Range in Assam along the inter-state border on Tuesday night and set the structure on fire.

The mob vandalised the forest office and torched properties such as furniture, documents and motorcycles parked in the complex, the officials said.

However, no injury to the forest personnel posted there has been reported so far, one of the officials told PTI.

The villagers had left the area before a team of policemen and other security personnel reached the spot, he said.

Following reports of attacks on vehicles from Assam in Meghalaya, the Assam Police continued to advise car owners to avoid entering the neighbouring state for safety.

At various points to enter Meghalaya from Assam, including at Guwahati and Cachar district, the police personnel put up barricades and asked people not to travel to the hill state in a vehicle bearing a number plate from Assam.

“Since yesterday, we have been advising people not to go to Meghalaya till the situation completely normalises. We are only requesting the private and small car owners not to travel as miscreants are targeting such vehicles there,” Deputy Commissioner (East) of Guwahati Police Sudhakar Singh told PTI.

He, however, said the commercial vehicles have not been stopped as of now.

Sources told PTI that a car with an Assam number plate was burnt in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong on Tuesday evening after miscreants asked the passengers to leave the vehicle.

Some taxi drivers, who returned to Guwahati on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, said that the Meghalaya Police escorted them to the Assam border, but still, stones were pelted on their vehicles by onlookers while on the move.

Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta said they asked vehicles from Assam and other states not to travel through Meghalaya as per requests from the hill state.

“The Meghalaya Police had requested us to control vehicles going inside their state following the disturbances. Restrictions have been put in place as a precautionary measure for the safety of the people,” he added.