The attack on the Mahadev Khola temple near the 101 area was unwarranted. It could unleash a series of backlashes across the country especially at a time when religious polarization is threatening to destroy the social fabric of this country. A tweet sent out from the twitter handle of the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) which appears to be a Hindu Right Wing group has tagged the tweet to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah amongst other BJP leaders. The intent is to draw the attention of the central leadership to what happened in Meghalaya. As a result this State has quickly gained notoriety and the perception that temples and the Hindu priests here are being targeted. This could lead to a cycle of violence and destruction of churches elsewhere in the country where Hindus are in a majority. The country is already very polarized and any attack on places of worship can aggravate the situation. What is also worrying is that a certain organization has been targeted by the LRO as being behind the attack on the long- standing Hindu temple at that particular area.
Religious freedom is embedded in the constitutional right to profess any faith one chooses. It is tragic that churches have been attacked elsewhere in the country. For a while now, Christians from across India have been lamenting that it is not just churches that have been under attack but even pastors have been subjected to the worst kinds of cruelties in Chattisgarh and Jharkhand amongst other states. There is a genuine need for religious harmony if people are not to sink further into ‘otherization’ on the basis of religion. In Meghalaya, where Hindus are a minority they will look for kinship and solidarity outside the State and this could result in a cascading effect.
In Meghalaya, the Central Puja Committee organises inter-faith meets every year before the Durga Puja festival. This group has the onus to create platforms for exchange of ideas beyond the Durga Puja ritual. The absence of an all-encompassing civil society group is the reason why violence becomes the method of achieving any goal. Allegations by certain groups are that the Madadev Khola temple has been harbouring several people and turned the area into a little slum. If true, this is problematic but there are processes that anyone with a grievance has to follow. The habit of taking the law into one’s hands can escalate violence. It is time to stop creating the “the other” and to attribute all that’s negative to that “other.” There is such a thing as ‘humanity’ which appears to be slowly disappearing. Platforms for inter-religious communication are needed in Meghalaya. Meeting only once a year or only when there is a crisis is not enough.