Violence in Meghalaya: MP Rajdeep Roy talks about atrocities upon non-tribals especially Bengalis in Parliament

MP Rajdeep Roy on Tuesday, during “the matter of Urgent Notice” in Parliament, raised the matter of ongoing atrocities on Bengali, Assamese, Nepali population of Meghalaya. He tried to draw the attention of the central government over it.

MP Rajdeep Roy stood to say that Shillong was earlier the summer capital of Assam and subsequently from 1972 only for Meghalaya. “Primarily residents of Meghalaya include Khasi, Jaintia and Garos but we know there are many Bengali, Assamese, Hindi and even Nepali speaking people who have contributed to the growth of the state. Since the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the month of December 2019, there are lots of atrocities forced on the non-tribal population living there.” Rajdeep Roy said, before he was interrupted by I&B minister for some important announcement.

Recently, the Silchar MP wrote a letter to the Khasi Students Union president, drawing attention towards the recent violence, in which ‘innocent non-tribal people of the state’ were targeted. “The recent development in Meghalaya has hurt the very cluster of friendship and the peaceful environment of this region,” he wrote in the letter.

It can be mentioned here that, a clash broke out in Meghalaya’s Shella area on last week of February, after a death of Khasi tribal youth, which the tribal bodies claimed was murdered by Hindu Bengali group. The clash was followed by an ultimatum from the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), which asked Hindu-Bengalis to leave Ichamati and Majai areas at Shella in East Khasi Hills within one month.

“If they fail to comply with our ultimatum then we shall not be made responsible in case of any eventuality. This time it shall be mass bloodshed,” HNLC general secretary-cum-publicity Secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw was quoted by NE Now News portal.

The ultimatum sent a sense of panic and fear among the non-tribals residing there, many of whom started to flee or hide in jungles to save their lives. Though later 250 stranded people, specifically of lower Assam region, were rescued by Assam Government, the repeated wave of violence by some outfits and state’s ethnic fight history continues to haunt the non-tribals, especially Bengalis.