Curfew was imposed in some parts of Meghalaya's state capital Shillong following a violent clash that broke out between the police and an unruly mob in the city's Motphran area.
"Curfew has been imposed in areas under Lumdiengjri police station and Cantonment Beat House from 4 a.m. this (Friday) morning in view of the breakdown of law and order in Shillong city (Motphran, Mawkhar and adjoining areas) following the violent clash on Thursday night," Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills district, Peter. S. Dkhar said.
The police used tear gas to disperse the mob but they did not move out of the area.
Meghalaya: Visuals from Shillong. Curfew remains imposed, internet services suspended in parts of the city after clash broke out between two groups following escalation of an argument between a woman & a bus conductor. pic.twitter.com/ZlXm48XehE
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2018
The clash erupted after a bus conductor was allegedly assaulted by a group of people residing at Them Aew Mawlong (Harijan's lane).
However, the situation turned volatile later in the night when the mob attempted to march towards Them Mawlong and started pelting stones at the police deployed in the area.
I am saddened by the chaos in #Shillong with the clash between the locals and the Sikh community. The unrest has left the non-tribal community scared for their lives. Can anyone provide both the sides with some closure? @narendramodi #CallForHelp
— Serena A. Lyngdoh (@SerenaALyngdoh) June 1, 2018
Police have so far arrested 10 people in connection with the violence that began on Thursday following an altercation between a Khasi boy and a Punjabi woman in Them Iew Mawlong, a Punjabi settlement in Shillong with around 350 households.
Sunny Singh, a resident of Shillong’s ‘Punjabi Lane’, as the Them Iew Mawlong locality is also called, said he hadn’t slept the last two nights. “A few metres from here, the house of a Punjabi family was set on fire last night. We are scared for our lives,” said Singh, who is in his late 20s and works in a bank.
Visuals from #Shillong. #Curfew remains imposed, internet services suspended in parts of the city after clash broke out between two groups following escalation of an argument between a woman & a bus conductor. pic.twitter.com/Y4tzRWMzXy
— Siddharth (@im_ssh) June 2, 2018
On Saturday morning, several men from the area huddled anxiously on the road, both ends of which had been cordoned off by the police.
Singh and the other residents of the locality say the anger directed at the community is part of a long-standing demand from sections of the Khasi society to get them evicted from the area.
Gurjeet Singh, general secretary of the Gurudwara Committee of Punjabi Lane, and Billu Singh, headman of the Harijan Panchayat Committee, allege the violence is part of a larger agenda.
#BREAKING Massive violence broke out in Shillong: Tension after clashes between a woman and a bus conductor, argument turns lethal, violent clash after spat, petrol bombs and weapons seized | Ground report by TIMES NOW’s Arindam pic.twitter.com/WStDzZY0UT
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 1, 2018
“Since the 1980s, they (Khasis) have been calling us illegal settlers and asking for us to be shifted out of this place. But we have been living here forever and we will stay here. That is our stand. Though several political leaders have over the years spoken of rehabilitating us to some other location, we have never seen anything concrete. It has just been empty talk,” he said.
He said his ancestors, mostly Dalits from Punjab, had come to Shillong around 200 years ago, brought by the British to work as cleaners and sweepers.
The story of Dalit Sikhs moving to Shillong is an incredible one. According to a document issued in 2008 from the erstwhile Khasi royalty, “The Syiem of Mylliem and Durbar”, the ancestors of the Dalit Sikh community were already settled in Shillong.
As of my information is concerned ... A clash broke out (may 31) at Motphran, Shillong forcing police to use tear gas to disperse the mob. The clash broke out between drivers of Shillong Public Transport Service buses and Them Mawlong, Shillong residents.
— Ravinder Singh Robin (@rsrobin1) June 2, 2018
They are said to be brought by the British army to work as manual scavengers as tribals living midst fields would not do this work. The earliest settlement was in Bara Bazaar and later in a colony of army recruits in a street known as Gora Line in Laitumukhra.
The document further says: “The Syiem and Darbar Hima Mylliem never issued any land document to the Harijan community, but recognised and respected them since the plot of land was allotted to Dalits long time back by the predecessors Syiem of Hima Mylliem.” However, a gurdwara, Valmiki mandir and Guru Nanak LP School have been given valid documents.
Soon after the incident, several organisations in Shillong, including the powerful Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), reiterated their demand for the “eviction” of the “illegal settlers”.
Calling the residents of Punjabi Lane “trouble-mongers who often harass Khasi people”, KSU general secretary Donald Thabah said, “We demand that the illegal settlers in that area are immediately evicted. Those who assaulted the minor Khasi boy should be booked under stringent laws. And the Khasi protesters arrested in the clashes should be released and those injured must be compensated.”
“It has been a long struggle for the Dalits here as 95% of them are without Scheduled Caste certificates. For the past 25 years, there has been an effort to evict Dalit Sikhs from here,” says Gurjeet Singh, general secretary of the gurdwara, which is still under reconstruction.
Alarmed by the recent uprising by the local Khasis, Gurjeet adds: “The Centre should intervene as the government here has not dealt with the situation firmly. Some leaders from Punjab should raise their voices for the protection of Dalit Sikhs here.” He says that protesters set a shop of a Dalit Sikh afire here.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and other Cabinet ministers met with residents of the troubled areas, including Khasi community elders, to discuss the law and order situation.
A government press release issued later in the day said, “The headmen spoke at length regarding the hardships faced by the local and genuine residents of the area and requested the government to immediately withdraw the police force from… the localities… The Home Minister informed them that the police force had till now exercised maximum restraint and would continue to do so.”
The press release also said that the Khasi community members had “sought for the removal and rehabilitation of the inhabitants” of Punjabi Lane.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma called up his Punjab counterpart captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday to assure him of the safety of the Sikh community and their religious institutions in the state following communal clashes.
Sangma also assured Amarinder that there was no damage to any gurdwara or other institutions belonging to the Sikh minority in Meghalaya.
Amarinder expressed concern over the developments and hoped the situation does not escalate further, said an official spokesperson.
“The Meghalaya CM said he was personally monitoring the situation to ensure that there is no further trouble or incident that could trigger fresh tensions,” the spokesperson added.
Many are wary that the situation should not return to the violent tribal agitations of the 90s. An interview with the bus driver whose son was hurt in the skirmish is being widely circulated on the social media as rumour had gone around that the teenager had succumbed to the injury.
Marbaniang has confirmed that his two children are fine and he adds: “There is no such thing as Khasi or Punjabi. We are all brothers and sisters and are created by God.”
Not only the Dalit Sikhs, but Punjabis settled in Shillong for many decades are uneasy about the situation. No one wants to be quoted but a businessman on conditions of anonymity says: “The situation is far from normal and has to be dealt with firmly yet sensitively if communal clashes are to be avoided.”
We (police) have tightened the security all over the city after miscreants set four vehicles on fire in four different locations at Motphran, Umsohson, Rynjah and Nongmynsong," Davies Marak, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills said
Curfew will be lifted for seven hours on Sunday in curfew-bound areas in Meghalaya's capital Shillong, but restrictions will remain in force, a senior government said on Saturday.
"Curfew would be lifted from 8.00 a.m to 3.00 p.m tomorrow (Sunday) in curfew areas under Lumdiengjri Police Station and Cantonment Beat House areas to allow people to get their essential commodities," Deputy Commissioner in-charge East Khasi Hills district, Peter S. Dkhar, told IANS.
Dkhar, however, said that suspension of internet on mobile services would continue besides prohibiting the sale of petrol, diesel etc., in loose jerricans, bottles and any other containers to public by all petrol pumps within the district.
The magistrate also appealed to the people not to trust false reports propagated in social media like attacks on gurdwara in the city.
"The situation is still tense but under control. The Army is on standby and will be deployed if the situation warrants. The district administration and the state police are making all efforts to restore peace and normalcy," he said.
Dkhar imposed indefinite curfew in areas under Lumdiengjri Police Station and Cantonment Beat House from 4 a.m on Friday in view of the breakdown of law and order in Motphran, Mawkhar and adjoining areas following Thursday's clash.
The clash erupted after a skirmish between some women and a driver of Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) bus at Them Meteor, which led to the assault of three persons. The parties involved in the skirmish had arrived at a verbal compromise though.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to probe the incident as well as to identify the elements spreading rumours and inciting violence.
Making a fervent appeal to all citizens to maintain peace and extend help to bring normalcy back to the city, a government communique said: "It has been observed that false news and propaganda played a vital role in raising tempers and inciting violence...
"The members of the public are requested to remain calm and not to fall prey to rumours..."
A case has been registered an an arrest made in connection with an incident in which three boys were assaulted.
