Wednesday, November 6, 2024
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Musings of a so-called Non-tribal

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By Biswajit Ghosh

I am a Bengalee and a bona-fide citizen of Meghalaya. Let me make this very clear – the Bengalees of Meghalaya and throughout this nation and abroad too all are Bangladeshis by blood and by root. After all they are all from undivided Bengal. The soil of Bengal had given us innumerable jewels whose sacrifices have given us freedom from the clutches of the British. A good number of Bengalees were part of the freedom movement where ladies played a vital role. They gave away their valuable ornaments to raise funds for the cause of the nation. In the field of education the soil of Bengal or so called Bangladesh had made great contributions towards nation building. Our national anthem which was recently recognized as the world’s best national anthem was composed by poet-philosopher Rabindra Nath Tagore, a Bangladeshi by blood and by root since he was the son of undivided Bengal.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee who composed, “Vande Mataram,” a national song, was also a Bangladeshi by blood. So too the former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.  Freedom fighters Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Kudiram Bose, Konoklata and many others are all of Bengalee origin. The word “Meghalaya” is derived from the Bengalee words, “Megher Alay” or the abode of clouds as coined by Rabindra Nath Tagore. Meghalaya is an integral part of India and the Indian Constitution has granted Fundamental rights to its citizens but everyone must follow the democratic path. Here I would like to mention a few words which have played a vital role in creating an unhealthy atmosphere from time to time. These words are ‘infiltrators,’ ‘illegal immigrants,’ ‘outsiders’ ‘migrant labourers’ etc. All such words must be condemned by each and every right thinking person irrespective of caste, creed and religion because such words have been weaponised by certain vested interests that create havoc in the society from time to time to make their existence felt. This is totally uncalled for as it hampers development.

I have a question to the Government of Meghalaya and its clear stand towards the above pejorative words which have been part of Meghalaya’s lexicon. Are these words applicable to all those who enter Meghalaya from others part of India? Does Government of Meghalaya have any respect for the Fundamental Rights of Indian citizens? Our Fundamental Rights grants us freedom of movement and the freedom to settle in any part of India. Let’s come to the real point of minorities or the so called “NON-TRIBALS” of Meghalaya and their plight since 1979. At that time the non tribal population ratio was more than 38%. Now after a gap of thirty years the ratio has come down to almost 9% or 10%. So it’s clear that the population ratio gone down by 28% approximately. In such circumstances it’s clear that no illegal immigration or infiltration has taken place till date. However, if there are any illegal immigrants then what steps have successive governments taken to deal with them? How many of them were deported from the State. Does the Government have any record?

Truth must prevail at any cost. Nowadays people are very much aware and informed of the facts as they obtain in Meghalaya. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains are all minorities and are the so-called non-tribals so there should be a Minority Cell under the Government for all non-tribals. The Cell will have one representative from each religious group since everyone has the right to express his or her views because whenever we talk about our rights and justice we are tagged as communal.

Some incidents that happened since 1979 can never be forgotten. I remember “Ghosh Dairy” Jaiaw; it was a black day in the history of Meghalaya. A young boy of 20 plus years was murdered. He was cut into pieces with an axe. Some houses were burnt and people were attacked from all nooks and corners by arrows and other sharp weapons. There was stone pelting and bloodshed. This mayhem continued for more than two hours but the Administration was totally immobile. Roughly about five hundred families were evacuated from there empty-handed. Where was law of the land then?  Am I communal?  Those horrific memories are still fresh in my mind. Justice is yet to be given to those who suffered or whose family members were killed. Again in 1989, 1990 in Mawlai Mawroh 9 members of a Bihari family earning a livelihood by selling milk, were attacked. The man was burnt along with two minors below eight years of age. All the bodies were lined up at the  Barapathar cremation ground. This memory too is still vivid. And then another incident during the 1991 Durga Puja on the third day or “Navami” in the evening a young  girl was moving towards Laitumkhrah in a taxi when she was attacked with a petrol bomb. The next day was the immersion day of Goddess Durga and our people reacted to that incident. Am I communal to remember these horrific incidents?

Now coming to the recent incident of Ichamati where a tribal man was beaten to death allegedly by non-tribals, one understand that the members of the victim’s family are suffering since the deceased left behind his small children and the family is helpless indeed. Such an incident must be condemned by each and every right thinking person in society irrespective of caste and community. The killer or killers must get stringent punishment as per law, but the question arises as to why such an incident happened? How did it happen? Where are the right thinking people of the society to raise their voices against each injustice whether the victims are tribal or non-tribal? In all such incidents an independent enquiry should be instituted and taken over by the CBI. Justice must prevail equally; otherwise the Government has to answer for all these incidents.

After the Ichamati incident what happened in Iewduh and its adjoining areas? How many lives were lost? How many were injured? It’s very clear to all, but in this case there is no hue and cry for justice. Should justice not be given to all equally whether tribal or non-tribal since no one is above the law and law should take its own course?

Last but not the least, let’s remember that love begets love and pain begets pain. Let us work collectively for the upliftment of society in particular and the nation as a whole, as we are all humans with the same blood running through our veins. When a patient is admitted in hospital and he or she needs blood transfusion we never ask the hospital authorities where that blood comes from and whether it is from a particular caste and community; tribal or non-tribal.

Hence brotherhood should be maintained at all costs because we need to work at building society not to break and destroy its solidarity.

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