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The Rediff Special

The sun has just set. But in the picturesque capital of Shillong in Meghalaya, the streets are deserted. Tension stalks the town. There is fear in the air.

Roving Editor Ramesh Menon, who travelled to the northeast recently, feels that xenophobia and narrow-minded politicians are destroying Meghalaya's future.

It is just 6.30 in the evening.

But the streets of Shillong, one of the most beautiful hill towns in India, are almost empty. Few non-tribals dare to walk the streets after dusk.

There is good reason not to. There have been many instances of attacks, murders and kidnappings.

Chief Minister E K Mawlong and Chief Secretary J P Singh both say Meghalaya is much more safer than Kashmir.

At best, it is a ridiculous comparison.

In the first week of this year, armed insurgents walked into an electronic goods shop in the heart of Shillong and fired from automatic arms, killing three shop attendants and two shoppers. The three attendants were non-tribals. The two shoppers were Khasi tribals.

There have been numerous daylight murders by insurgents, but no public outcry. When the two Khasi tribals fell victim, there were processions condemning the attack. Sensing the public mood, the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council, a banned insurgent group that operates in Khasi-dominated areas, apologised. But only for the Khasi victims.

As if the life of non-tribals was cheaper.
Meghalaya, the land of clouds, was often referred to as the Scotland of the East because of its natural beauty, peace and tranquility. But with the insurgency and ethnic disturbances, it is slowly slipping into a cauldron of hatred between tribals and non-tribals.

Since the late eighties, numerous cycles of ethnic cleansing have pockmarked the state. Nepalis, Bengalis and Marwaris have all been a target of attack. Nepalis are largely illegal migrants and work as labourers and housemaids. Bengalis have a large share of jobs and work as clerks and office managers. Marwaris control business activity.

An incident that refuses to go away is the bloody Durga Puja celebrations in 1992. It was the time when the Hindus in Meghalaya don their best, move out and celebrate. The Federation of Khasi, Jayantia and Garo People, a pressure group of tribals, called for a road blockade.

But those who wanted to move around in vehicles decided to defy the blockade. Petrol bombs were thrown into a car and a Bengali teenager was burnt to death.

This triggered of a wave of anger. The Bengalis refused to remove the idols unless the culprits were arrested. The government imposed a curfew.

The tribals retaliated with violence. In the ensuing riots, 27 were killed. All were non-tribals.

Ethnic cleansing in Shillong since the late seventies divided the city into tribals and non-tribals.

Both started migrating from mixed cosmopolitan areas to pockets where their communities were in a majority.

Khasis moved to Mawlai, Mawkher, Wahingdon, Riatsamthih and Mawphrem.

Non-tribals moved to Jhalupara, Upper Mawphrem, Laban and Barapathar.

Mistrust was the mood.

Was this the Scotland of the East?

Earlier, fear was an unknown word. Shillong was truly cosmopolitan. It had lovely schools, churches, temples, walks, tiny shops and smiling faces. Today, all this is a memory of the past.

Remembers Manas Chaudhari, editor of the Shillong Times: "As children, the most exciting thing used to be weekend picnics. Now, non-tribals do not venture out. There is fear all over the place."

Night life is non-existant.

Cinema theatres shut at around 7 pm. There are no night shows anymore. Even the cabbies drive home after sunset. There have been cases of taxis being hijacked and drivers murdered.

The change is too stark to be missed.

"I do not have a single Christmas card sent in by any Khasi," complains an elderly Bengali gentleman who has been in Shillong for over three decades. "Some years ago, Christmas used to be full of cakes, cards, invitations. We never felt we were not Christians. Now we do."

Design, Illustration: Lynette Menezes

Part II: Our leaders are like frogs in the pond'
Part III: 'It is very lucrative to be a militant'
Part IV: 'If there is political will, the militants can be finished in no time'

The Rediff Specials