Shillong, June 2018.
People in general are blissfully numb and one often hears
that Shillong is now peaceful. Well, partly yes but that is because most of the
non-tribal population is already gone!
June 2018 was when similar issues resurfaced again. How and why?
History
The so called Dalit Sikhs are one of the earliest non-tribal
settlers in Shillong. The place they settled down came to be known as Punjabi
or Sweepers’ Lane. Yes, these people did the entire manual scavenging job.
It is also believed that an attempt has been made several
times to shift the colony to the city outskirts. The Sikhs have ever refused as
this land was supposed to be given for permanent settlement.
How did it start?
On May 31, there was a minor scuffle between girls of that
community and a local bus driver and his friends who had supposedly teased them
or blocked their way when they went to fetch water. It is believed that a
compromise was reached however a whatasapp message that was doing the rounds
claiming that the local boys had died added fuel to the communal tension that
existed through generations already.
Consequences
Tension prevailed for a week or so, and curfew was imposed
which is a normal Shillong phenomenon, the residents have grown up with! Not
just that, the army had to conduct flag marches. The mobile internet services
were suspended as a measure to curb spreading of rumors. Incidents of stone throwing, hurling petrol
bombs happened in nooks are corners of the city. Again, an age old Shillong phenomenon!
And the Sense of
Community
The entire Punjab stood in support for the Sikh community. The
Punjab cabinet approved compensation to the Sikh community residing in
Shillong and affected by the clashes. The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management
Committee and Shiromani Akali Dal Badal leaders took to the cause of the
community and urged the Government to take appropriate measures and steps to
ensure their safety.
Retrospection
Contrast this with the riots affecting the Bengali community
over various periods of time in history of Shillong and one will hardly find
any instance of support from West Bengal. The then Government of India hardly paid any attention, partly because they were not interested and largely because there were no pressure groups.
The sense of Community in WB is only limited to where their ego gets a boost...that's it!
