Security, not displacement

The recent violence has brought the Punjabi Colony in Shillong into the limelight and it remains that way because of the incalcitrant attitude of a small section among the majority Khasi population. The small enclave in Shillong has housed Punjabis, mostly Sikhs, for two centuries and counting. After the violence against the Sikhs, the state was expected to provide succour and assurance about their safety. The Meghalaya Government, however, is sending adverse signals about its intention by dusting out a 15-year-old plan to relocate the Sikh families that live there. The last thing that a minority community that has been at the receiving end of violence should have to fear is dislocation from homes. The National Commission for Minorities’ direction to maintain status quo is thus a positive development that gives a breather and allows various parties concerned to find ways to promote communal amity.

The state’s urban department puts the number of inhabitants at around 6,000 Sikhs and 4,000 Hindus. Even if the number is less, a minority needs to be treated with extra empathy. However, the local administration and the residents operate on different wavelengths. If the Sikhs are resisting their relocation, people living in places where the population is supposed to be relocated are also up in arms. A small incident had triggered the earlier violence, and it is clear that the security forces will have to continue to play a role in protecting the minority community.

It is noteworthy that there has been no loss of life unlike during  the distressing progroms witnessed against the Bengalis, Nepalis and Biharis. But the communal colour which the clash took has similarities with the earlier targeting of minorities. It is sad that Khasis, themselves in a minority outside Meghalaya, did not show the required sensitivity in dealing with another minority community in their midst. The tribal and religious loyalties need to be subsumed under the requirements of justice, the rule of law and the administrative dharma. Those who live in the Punjabi Colony are as much a part of Meghalaya as anyone else. They must be treated and made to feel as such.