From Our Special Correspondent
Shillong ( Meghalaya) , March 1 : This a typical scene as you enter Shillong , also know as the ‘Scotland of the East’ . As you enter the city only empty roads and gun -trotting policemen would occasionally ask you where are you coming from ? ”Rush don’t you know curfew has been imposed . You should be indoors” , they add .
Today , the death toll in Ichamati – Shillong clashes climbed to 3 after communal clashes erupted between Khasi Students Union (KSU) , members and Hindu Bengalis after a rally on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and inner line permit (ILP) in Ichamati along Indo – Bangla border in the state on Thursday.
This morning , one Aditya Kumar (28), resident of Upper Mawprem near Shiv Mandir was stabbed by some unknown miscreants with broken bottle at Lower Mawprem area here. He has been rushed to Shillong Civil Hospital.
An incident was reported from Pyrken village under Shella PS in the wee hours of today . One Uphas Uddin (37 yrs) was stabbed and cut by 3 unknown miscreants at his residence at around 2.45 am.
At around 5 pm today , miscreants pelted stones at vehicles plying through the National Highway in Puriang area.
Due to the volatile situation in the capital city, curfew was re-imposed in the entire Shillong city from 9 pm of March 1 till 6 am of March 2.
Meanwhile, curfew which was extended from 8 am today in areas falling under Sadar PS and Lumdiengjri PS including those falling under Cantonment Beat House will also continue till 6 am of March 2
According to sources , over 25 persons have been injured in the clashes, so far .
Police have arrested eight persons in the connection with the clashes and a magisterial inquiry has been instituted to probe into the incident.
Yesterday, curfew was re-imposed in certain pockets of the capital city here . Internet services remain suspended in six of the eleven districts in the state .
Yesterday , CM Conrad Sangma appealed for peace saying people should refrain from any kind of violent activities.
The chief minister also expressed solidarity and support with the people, especially with the family of the deceased.
Meanwhile , the banned The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has issued a statement to all the Hindu-Bengalis to leave Ichamati and Majai areas of Shella in East Khasi Hills within a month.
“If they fail to do so by not complying to our ultimatum then we shall not be made responsible in case of any eventuality. This time it shall be a mass bloodshed,” said HNLC general secretary-cum-publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw in a statement issued today .
“The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) with a heavy heart extend its solidarity with the people of Meghalaya, the KSU and deepest condolences to the family and relatives of Bah Lurshai Hynniewta who was murdered at Ichamati on the fateful day of February 28, 2020, by Bengali Hindu groups,” the statement said .
The statement stated that the “hostility showed by the Bengali Hindus was as irrational as it was incomprehensible”.“But there was one striking fact in this connection – the Hindutva connection,” added Nongtraw.
”The HNLC sees a similarity of the attack at Ichamati with incidents of violence on anti-CAA protestors by pro-CAA forces taking place in Delhi”, the statement said .
“It was quite visible that the attacks were similar to the ones that happened in the country’s capital by Hindutva forces,” added the HNLC general secretary.
The police department should, first of all, get to the root of the cause in identifying the main leaders who had instigated the attacks, the outfit said .
Alleging that “Hindu forces” are playing “communal politics”, the outfit said, “The communal hatred has never yielded out good results”.
“Whatever had happened in the country’s capital Delhi in the recent times was an outcome of the pro-CAA activists attacking the anti-CAA groups,” the outfit said , adding, “These incidents are all stage-managed by the Hindutva forces.”
“The CAA is a tool well known for its anti-minority and anti-Muslim stand. We are not against any kind of community nor religion, but our agenda is to safeguard the interests of our people,” the statement added .
“Now the Hindutva forces are trying to spread the same fire within our state in order to make the demand of ILP illegitimate making way for the CAA,” the statement added .
The need of the hour of the Khun U Hynniewtrep is to identify as to “who is our common enemy”, the HNLC leader said.
The outfit expressed fear if “the CAA comes into its implementation then the Bengali Hindu community shall become the biggest threat to our Hynniewtrep land”.
“Once the revolution had started against the CAA the Hindutva forces created an artificial revolution by the pro CAA against the anti CAA realising that there is a growing non-Hindu revolution all over the state,” the statement claimed .
“The Hindus deliberately ignite an artificial fire which they named the Hindutva revolt against the non-Hindutva revolution that is going on in Indian states,” the statement added .
“In the Ichamati incident all the eight perpetrators belonged to the Hindu Bengali community, and in fact most of the police were also from the Hindu community who were mute spectators in the entire incident and things were deliberately ignored,” the statement claimed .
“The Hindus are aware that whatever revolution our people shall come up with, they shall always have an upper hand because they have the blessings of the Centre and the law agencies, ” the HNLC leader claimed.
“Now the ball is at the court of the Syiems, and the Dorbar shnongs to avoid giving residential accommodations to outsiders even if they have proper documents because the same residents shall turn out to be like the Them metor and the Refugee colony residents. Once settled they shall slowly take over and change the demography of the region,” the outfit warned .
