Emulate Sikhs, ex-Governor asks Shillong Bengalis

Tribune News Service

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Kolkata, November 8

Former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, whose term ended in August, has asked Bengali Hindu residents of Shillong to defend themselves against racial violence by emulating “the Sardarjis”.

Lamenting that the Meghalaya Government was having no concern for the safety of non-tribals and acted as if Meghalaya was “not a part of India”, Roy, who lives in Kolkata, in a tweet cited the example of Shillong Sikhs, who were successful in defending themselves against violence.

“Meghalaya unfortunately has a government that has chosen to forget that it is a part of India and non-tribals are equal citizens of India. But Bengali Hindus must unite and fend for themselves. Can any of these anti-non-tribals dare to take on the Sardarjis of Punjabi Lane?,” Roy, a senior ideologue of the BJP but evidently disillusioned with the BJP-backed Conrad Sangma-led government of Meghalaya, tweeted on Saturday. The Meghalaya capital has been facing a fresh wave of ethnic violence targeting Bengalis following a clash in Ichamati village located on the state’s border with Bangladesh.