Shillong in flames: Curse of being 'Dkhar' in Meghalaya

Just when you think things are getting better, that the dark days are finally behind, that there is a growing acceptance of syncretism, Shillong shocks you. Shillong – the hill station known best for its music, fashion and pomp. It’s an escape destination for people from around the north-east, especially from Assam. The people of Assam find comfort in Shillong as the scorching summers drain them out in their home state. Shillong might be an attractive, modern paradise for distant onlookers. But Shillong is also a blackhole of communal, racial and ethnic hatred. Just when you think this hatred is dying out as the newer generation takes control of the narrative, some tragic incident harks one back into reality. That of Shillong being a perpetual tinderbox waiting to explode at the slightest ignition, irrespective of any generational change that might have occurred. Shillong city descends into absolute chaos Meghalaya woke up to tragic news on Tuesday. Five residents of the state were killed due to firing by Assam Police in the early hours of Tuesday. One forest guard from Assam was killed too. This incident was captured on camera, and soon enough, everyone in Meghalaya had gory footages of what had just happened. Blood on the roods, those killed lying dead and women crying in the background. It was enough to shake the soul of anybody watching. What has followed is an absolute display of incivility. Vandalism, destruction of public property, harassment of innocent civilians just trying to get home from work. That’s how people in Meghalaya have been ‘protesting’, and there can be no greater betrayal to the memory of those killed than this. The five people from Meghalaya who lost their lives on Tuesday were mocked on Thursday as Shillong city descended into absolute chaos. What was supposed to be a peaceful candlelight vigil and sit-in protest turned into an ugly fest of anarchy and violence. This protest was organised right in front of a major city hospital – and the hospital was among the first to be attacked when violence broke out. Now this is not a one-off incident. This is what happens with almost all protests in Shillong, especially those organised by the infamous “pressure groups”, who also like to refer to themselves as “NGO’s”. Same tale repeats itself This same tale repeats itself every time. Why should people who are interested in justice for those killed in Mukroh village be armed with stones, knives and petrol bombs? Yet, many of the ‘protestors’ were. Their intentions were very clear from the moment they arrived at the protest site – to terrorise innocent civilians and assault anybody remotely resembling a “non-tribal”, or as they are referred to here - ‘Dkhars’. The word roughly translates into ‘outsiders’. You and your family may have lived in Shillong for decades on end, perhaps even more than a century. Your families may have built Shillong for what it is today. You may be indispensable parts of Meghalaya’s economy. None of it matters. ‘Dkhars’ will never be seen as people who have equal rights in Meghalaya. In fact, non-tribals are barred from voting in district council polls in the state. That is an open violation of the democratic rights of Indians, but that is how things are. Dkhars need to suck it up and keep quiet. This is a word which, over decades, has been loaded with hatred, and is now casually thrown around at all non-tribals in Meghalaya, especially in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Around 10 people were injured in the mindless violence of Thursday evening, that continued well into the night. Mobs of ‘protesting’ goons vandalised Shillong Civil Hospital, assaulted and manhandled three women police personnel and attacked four innocent civilians. That’s what officials could record. There may have been many more, afraid to come out to describe how they were assaulted because they looked a certain way to an inebriated mob. The mob burnt a parked bus carrying CRPF jawans, and set fire to a traffic police outpost in the heart of the capital city. Then, these ‘protestors’ hurled petrol bombs like experienced projectile launchers at anti-riot police personnel. Inspector Alok Kumar was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And he was a non-tribal. Now, he is in critical condition in a hospital in Guwahati. He was admitted to the ICU at a hospital in Shillong after being grievously assaulted by a mob. Inspector Kumar is not from Meghalaya. He came to the state for undertaking training in the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN). Little did he know a training programme would end with his life in the balance. Shillong has innumerable students from Assam. Apart from being the rock capital of India, Shillong is also the education capital of the Northeast. Students from across the region flock to Shillong for higher studies. The fight, thanks to shameless leaders from certain political parties, has been projected as one between Meghalaya and Assam. In a state where the ‘outsider’ is looked at as an enemy, that served as the perfect opportunity for goons to harass students – who are currently giving their exams and are helpless. Students of Assam I spoke with are afraid to go to colleges to write their exams. One student from Assam said, “We can’t really trust them. They can do anything at any moment.” Even tribals, majority of whom are Khasis in Shillong are getting assaulted over suspicions of being non-tribals. Now that says a lot. Singer Jessie Lyngdoh from Shillong took to Instagram to narrate her brother’s account of being manhandled by a mob. He was spared only after he spoke in the local language. That took the mob aback. One of the attackers candidly admitted that he had mistaken the victim to be a ‘dkhar’, or an outsider. Non-tribals always end up getting assaulted No matter what happens in which part of Meghalaya, the non-tribals somehow always end up getting assaulted, harassed, abused and even killed in Shillong. The fulcrum of the protest should ideally be on the border with Assam. That’s where the show of force is ideally needed. Instead, hooligans masquerading as ‘protestors’ are down to showing their bravado in Shillong – whose citizens have nothing to do with what happened at the border village on Tuesday; where people were just trying to get home after a day’s work when they were mobbed. It’s a vicious cycle which refuses to be broken. For the ‘outsiders’ of Shillong, it’s a curse that comes to haunt them multiple times every year. Dkhars are the first victims of all hate crimes. They are the ones who are hunted when pressure groups want to create a scene. Dkhars are the ones who are blamed for committing atrocities on the indigenous population. The hilarity of this claim cannot be stated enough. The state would have, under normal circumstances, be merrymaking right now. A series of festivals were lined up this month, most prominent among them the ‘Shillong cherry blossom festival’. These festivals stand cancelled as the state mourns the loss of lives at the border with Assam. Even if they were not cancelled, the state is in no position to host such high-value festivals. There’s a breakdown of law and order, the internet has been snapped and tourists fear for their lives. Are the protestors even remotely in a state of ‘mourning’? What kind of a mourning calls for you to vandalise a major hospital, assault innocent civilians, hurl petrol bombs and almost kill a police inspector just because he is a non-tribal? Meghalaya goes to polls soon. Matters will only get worse for the state’s ‘outsiders’ before they get any better, if at all. God bless the Dkhars of Meghalaya. Theirs is a curse which will never be lifted. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.