Fearing attack, Shillong Sikhs meet visiting minorities panel member

New Delhi, May 3

Fearing attack by local Khasi tribals, Dalit Sikhs of Meghalaya capital Shilong’s Harijan Colony have made a representation before the National Commission for Minorities member Rinchen Lhamo, who is visiting the state.

Lhamo met the Deputy Commissioner of the area today and discussed the security situation. The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) is spearheading the struggle of the Sikhs against the state government’s move to relocate them from Harijan Colony, where they have been living for several generations.

Gurjit Singh, HPC president, said Hynnietrep National Youth Front (HNYF), East Khasi Hills District, recently issued a statement threatening to attack the Sikhs if they pressured the state government to give them plots in another part of the city in lieu of the dwellings in Harijan Colony, also called Punjabi Lane.

The latest threat followed a similar warning given by the Khasi Students Union.