Shillong, Oct 30 (PTI) The famed Shillong Autumn festival recorded a low turnout this year due to the violence in the city, an organiser said on Sunday.

The two-day festival began at Umiam lake on Saturday.

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"70 per cent of people who booked online tickets did not turn up," an official of the festival said.

Unlike the previous editions, this time the festival saw thin gathering, he said.

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Thousands of people from other states such as Assam and West Bengal attend the festival every year, the official said,

The festival is a major tourist attraction of Meghalaya with local artists, and well-known domestic and international bands performing.

A rally on Friday demanding the filling up of vacant Meghalaya government posts turned violent when the participants attacked passers-by with sticks, besides damaging a few vehicles.

The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), which organised the rally, expressed regret over the violence.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)