When a group of persons that are masked can enter the premises of a private home that is under-construction and attack the labourers there before they can show their labour licenses, it shows that there is serious lapse in police intelligence. The police are the principle custodians of the rule of law but over the years what is observed in Meghalaya is that it’s the rulers who are more protected by a retinue of security guards while ordinary citizens are left to fend for themselves. Indeed, a sense of helplessness, voicelessness and powerlessness has engulfed a section of the population of Meghalaya and that has happened about five decades ago. In Meghalaya, Article 21 of the Constitution which guarantees to each citizen the right to life and liberty has been violated time and again. Interestingly, the Supreme Court of India has described Article 21 as the ‘heart of fundamental rights’ and this right is available to every person, citizen and foreigners alike. Perhaps the Constitution is not read and discussed in educational institutions hence many pass out without understanding this important document on which our lives and liberties hinge.
In Meghalaya any individual and group appears to have the license to decide they can kill or maim any person because he/she is the “other.” What does the word “other” imply? It means the person carries cultural and ethnic markers that are different from that of the majority in Meghalaya and also speaks a language that is not understood by the ethnic majority. The societal construction of the ‘other’ is such that the person carries all the negative characteristics. In other words, the ‘other’ can do no good. This hatred and contempt for the other starts early in life with the use of words that caricature the “other” to be the cause of all the problems in the lives of the ‘sons of the soil.’ There is no introspection as to the reasons why unemployment is rife; why poverty is growing and is affecting people across communities. There is no reflection as to whether the ‘sons of the soil’ can fill the vacuum that requires expertise to undertake every kind of occupation that requires specialised skills.
Everywhere in this state, those desirous of constructing state of the art home-stays, hotels or private residences and find they need experts hands have had to keep their projects on hold because pressure groups insist that they take only local labourers. The question is who is running the state and why are personal liberties being curbed? Who will take action against groups that usurp the personal liberties of citizens? Will a complaint to the police or the village headman yield any results? When such groups pose as custodians of the rights of the locals over that of others and assume illegitimate powers to impose their diktat on citizens, what is the redressal mechanism available? If these same groups can violate the rule of law with impunity why should other citizens obey the law?
