Atrocoties against non tribal: Meghalaya couple sits in Hunger strike; "Peaceful protest" says DC

On 20th January evening three Bengali residents of Meghalaya were rushed to the Shillong Civil Hospital. Among them Chandan Paul, 55, was stabbed according to claims by unidentified criminals at Lumdiengjri. The other two, shopkeepers by profession, faced severe facial and back injuries. They were just the three out of several attacked at the same time.

According to The Shillong Times report on 20th January, this incident happened just opposite the Lumdiengjri police station. Following this attack, there was obvious fear and angst among the non-tribal “permanent residents” of the hilly state.

A Shillong couple and permanent residents of Meghalaya, Sushit Kanti Choudhury and Kalpana Choudhury from Matri Bhumi, Rilbong, Shillong said to themself, enough is enough and decided to sit on a hunger strike until there is peace or death, whichever happens first. In a letter seeking permission from the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills district, Isawanda Laloo, the elderly couple wrote “On 23rd January 2022, on the auspicious 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, I’ve decided to sit on a hunger strike (except taking our regular medicines) along with my wife on protest from 10:00 AM at Khyndai Lad, Police Bazar Point, near the Old Assembly Gate, till our death for the cause of atrocities on the Bengali communities in particular and all other non-tribal populace of Meghalaya starting from 1979 till 20th January 2022.” 

Quoting the rampage and stabbing incident on fellow Bengali on the evening of 20th January at Lumdiengjri, they wrote, “till date, not a single murderer, looters, money extortion gangs and many other criminals have not been convicted or punished as per the law of Indian constitution. We being the citizens of India are ill treated here as third grade populace.” A patron to the Shillong Bengali Students’ Association, Mr. Choudhury laments for the protection of their Fundamental Rights by the Meghalaya State Government.

Isawanda Laloo the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills, Shillong on this matter said, “It is just a peaceful protest that is going on and at this stage, I have no other comments on the protest that is going on,” The couple that sat on the shivering cold temperatures of Meghalaya have displayed Placards and banners with quotes and highlighting different attacks that have happened from time to time on them. “Silence is Violence” says one placard. The coincidence of this protest with Netaji’s birth anniversary is quite noticeable but what’s surprising is the other non-tribal population or other Bengalis of Meghalaya’s silence. Why are others not joining this protest should be a finger-wagging argument.