The demand for political autonomy by the Rabhas was marked by political activities and agitations such as the frequent call for bandhs which were ignored by the Garo population which has only intensified the friction between the two communities. The winter season after harvesting has always been a time when trade in the markets becomes hectic and any bandh call greatly disturbs the economic activities. It was in such a situation this time around that violence erupted on New Year’s day, when people ran amok, attacking each other for a continuous eleven days, killing as many as ten people and causing injury to hundreds of others in the flare up.
A team of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, led by the Joint Secretary Shambu Singh, said that the clashes were well planned and did not rule out the hand of insurgents. The team which visited the affected areas found that fifty thousand people were displaced after many houses were razed to the ground by armed mobs attacking each other thereby raising terror and fear among women and children. One hundred and three people were arrested and twenty cases were registered for attempted rioting and arson.
The Union Ministry official, however ruled out the deployment of the army as the existing army troops involved in counter – insurgency operations along the border would be able to provide logistic support to the para – military. However, the role of insurgents was not ruled out including the Garo National Liberation Army and the Rabha Security Force who had pledged to protect their own people. In fact, there were incidents during the violence when security forces apprehended youth armed with AK 47 assault rifles and light machine guns.
District officials of Assam and Meghalaya who briefed Shambu Singh also indicated that the Harkat –ul - Jehad – al – Islami outfit had recently attacked Rabhas inside Meghalaya and also in the Goalpara district of Assam. Security force officials also said that the HUJI outfit was aiding the Garos as revenge against the Rabhas for their attacks on a section of the plains population in Garo Hills.
While the Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had urged for instituting an enquiry, the Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi had said that the time is not for enquiring on the ethnic clash but to control the situation in bringing about normalcy. Assam which is to face a general election would not like to be burdened with instituting an enquiry commission which could result in ramifications on the outcome and poll prospect of the ruling Congress party in the state. Mukul Sangma however wants to read between the lines on the whole episode which led to the ethnic clash especially as the Home Ministry officials had pointed out that the violence was well planned behind the Garo – Rabha battle lines, the communities which form a sizeable population on both sides of the border.
It is on this issue that when everything is under control and normalcy returns, the political pressure would increase for the Tarun Gogoi government to deal with the demands of both the Garos and the Rabhas for political autonomy and also that the Garos be recognised as scheduled tribes according to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India. With the partisan involvement of the Harka – ul – Jehad – al – Islami during the ethnic clash, the election scenario in the Goalpara belt can create complexities and hard decisions to be tackled and taken.
Much concern has been expressed on the Garo – Rabha clash, right from the Governor of Meghalaya Ranjit Sekhar Mooshahary, social organisations, student bodies, human rights activists, yet surprisingly, not all political parties both in Assam and Meghalaya have given importance to this ethnic clash which was of a very grave nature.
In another political angle, the visit of the Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Bijoya Chakraborty to a relief camp had drawn flak from the Meghalaya Chief Minister as, according to intelligence inputs, her speeches had ignited communal passions. The Chief Minister had said that her speeches had instead created a sense of restlessness among the displaced persons and that the official authorities had a tough time in convincing the people not to leave the relief camps. It is a case of yet again fishing in troubled waters where the vote bank counts. The Chief Minister of Meghalaya had cautioned that the state government would not tolerate any individual who would ignite a communal flare up and appropriate action would be taken as per the law.
The Chief Minister had appealed for calm and asked the people to remain vigilant against gossip and rumours. As the Border Security Force had taken flag marches in places like Mendipathar, and curfew was imposed in many places to bring back confidence to the people, a decision for joint patrolling was taken by police and security forces of both the neighbouring states. The Chief Minister had also announced an ex gratia payment of three lakhs to the next of kin of the people who died in the clashes.
Another political figure namely Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent Pala was the subject of criticism for his remark that the entire matter was not a major problem and that it could be settled by the villagers themselves. The Garo Student Union and its units had ridiculed Vincent Pala’s statement as immature and irresponsible. The students also condemned the statement of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who stated that his government’s top priority is only to restore normalcy and not to probe into the main causes of the clashes. The student body had also demanded the imposition of President’s Rule in Assam.
The Meghalaya Home Minister H. Donkupar Lyngdoh had cautioned political leaders and non government organisations against entering the affected areas without prior information. It was a providential escape for former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma, his daughter Union Minister Agatha Sangma, his son Conrad Sangma who is the leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Assembly when they were gheraoed by an irate mob when they visited relief camps at Chotamatia in Goalpara and had to be rescued by personnel of the Sikh Regiment accompanied by the army which fired warning shots into the air to disperse the mob.
The Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had said that he would write to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the distasteful behaviour of the Union Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma, Purno Sangma and Conrad Sangma for trying to settle political scores at a time when the government was trying to control the situation in volatile areas. The Chief Minister said that they were making calls to New Delhi as if they do not believe that there is a Chief Minister.
The ethnic battle has therefore turned into a political battle involving the National Congress Party and the Congress party which can have consequences that can intensify the political friction and bickering much to the dismay of the affected persons, especially the inmates of the relief camps including 19,353 from Assam and 15,968 from Meghalaya even though they are slowly returning to their homes with new hopes for a more peaceful existence after a horrific experience of fear, bloodshed and death.

Sumar Sing Sawian