Fake news, lack of decisive police action and breakdown of local institutions led to the Shillong incident. The city can ignore all this and its minorities at its peril
When a quarrel between individuals transforms into a group conflict, communal violence is the outcome. The altercation between a young woman of one community and the youth of another would not have conflagrated had police booked the wrongdoer. In any society, people don’t normally assault and injure others no matter what the provocation. If they do so, they are booked for it under relevant sections of the law. This is where law enforcers come in. Had those who assaulted the tribal youth been booked, the situation would not have spiralled out of control. But it wasn’t the case. And after that, it was easy for other alibis to converge and turn the whole episode into a “us versus them” tug-of-war. And once that feeling spreads, communities adopt intransigent stances. It is on such occasions that those involved in the business of preaching peace and other noble human values should step in to defuse the tension. That didn’t happen or happened in Shillong several days later. One saving grace were the women of Mawkhar who came out to pray for peace in that battleground.
The incident was also aggravated by social media through which news travels quick and fast. Some news channel calling itself the ‘Uncensored Akaal Channel’ reported that a Sikh girl was assaulted in ‘Shillong, Mangolia.’ That such illiterate news channels, ignorant of a part of their own country, even exist in a country of such diversity, where wrong reportage could result in a flare-up, is something that should be taken seriously by the Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting. But while we might blame one group for sending out fake news to different parts of the country, we should also not condone the fake news that was circulated via WhatsApp here, which categorically stated that one of the boys who was assaulted had succumbed to his injuries. That triggered the frenzy. Another news channel livestreamed the Motphran clash and allowed incendiary comments to flow like bile. That channel would have made name and fame but at what cost? For the sake of justice, the cyber crime department of the police needs to get to the root of this issue or else similar social tension might arise and the same chain of events will follow. The person who started the WhatsApp message had only one motive – to turn the incident into a full-fledged communal riot. And he/she succeeded in throwing this entire city out of gear. The reputation of the Meghalaya Police rests on finding this person’s WhatsApp number and booking him/her under relevant sections of the IT Act. Because not doing so, will only encourage other trouble mongers to cause similar panic. There are today young tech-savvy professionals who could get to the root of such crimes. The state should invest in hiring such professionals.
Barring internet connectivity for a week shows poor management skills because it disrupts the country’s foremost programme, ‘Digital India.’ Most points of sale (POS) transactions are disrupted and that is causing huge loss of business for young entrepreneurs across communities. None of us were able to carry out online banking transactions this whole week. We were waiting to hear that the rumour monger had been zeroed in and arrested but we were disappointed. If that person is arrested, it might prevent other fake news from originating. So is the district administration going to bar internet for a month if the situation remains volatile? Are we expected to put up with this? There are ways of tackling social media agent provocateurs which the state police have miserably failed to do. Hate mails do the rounds regularly and no suo-moto FIRs are filed. Even FIRs filed on social media transgressions are hardly ever resolved. How safe are citizens expected to feel in such despondent situations? Having said that, we must place on record our appreciation for the foot soldiers of the Meghalaya Police and those officers who took the brunt of the Motphran stone pelting. The police were castigated for shooting tear gas shells but is that worse than a lathicharge? It was not easy to face a crowd gripped by irrational anger and hate. That those youth were inebriated, as was attested to by those who were arrested, suggests a new form of aggression. Former home minister R.G. Lyngdoh says these youths were mercenaries who were paid to throw stones — a la Kashmir. This was borne out by one of the Rangbah Shnong (headmen) of the area, who said that in the morning when he and others took a walk in the troubled spots they found food packets strewn about and Bisleri bottles by the cartons. A mob does not bring food and other essentials with it. This is a group that is paid to create trouble and they were imported from the West Khasi Hills – one of the most backward districts of Meghalaya with no revenue generation. Will the Meghalaya Police have the courage of conviction to find the agent provocateurs? Or will we have to live with ugly assumptions?
The West Khasi Hills was most affected by the denudation of forests, and when the timber ban was imposed by the apex court in 1996, it was this region that was the most affected with some families reportedly starving. Connectivity within West Khasi Hills is still a huge challenge but the highway connecting Shillong with Nongstoin and Tura has also created new aspirations, with woefully inadequate opportunities to fulfil them. The former deputy commissioner, West Khasi Hills, tried his best to promote tourism and other livelihood opportunities but came up against a wall of resistance and was finally pushed out. Evidently there is a group with vested interests that wants to keep the people there at subsistence level so they become easy game during elections. That people are unable to see beyond these short electoral stratagems and continue to vote those who manipulate their minds. It also shows that the level of interrogation in society has not even begun.
And this is alarming. Every so often one attends seminars at local universities. At the end of event, when time is allowed for questioning, there is pin drop silence. You realise over time that this is a society that is not used to questioning and therefore not used to dissenting. And this happens because early in life, our youth are asked to conform and not have views other than what the majority subscribes to, because to differ from this converged viewpoint is to be a traitor to your society. Unity (ka jingiatylli/ jingiamir jingmut) in our society is defined by the society’s ability to make everyone agree to one common worldview. The young who are trained in one-dimensional thinking at home, in colleges and even universities become the convenient repositories of prejudices and narrowly-constructed narratives. And this young population is growing. I am appalled by Facebook posts from one who shows her residence as Philadelphia, USA, spewing out so much communal hatred during the recent crises. So while a person’s residence may change, her mindset has remained abhorrently static.
Then there is another aspect to this whole issue that also needs greater interrogation. Some of the Rangbah Shnong said they did not come forward during the present crises because their legitimacy to do so stands revoked and the Village Administration Bill (VAB) is still in limbo. It is incumbent on the MDA Government to rewrite the Bill and make it inclusive, participatory and democratic and to remove from it all ambiguities. The Dorbar Shnong (local council) is the first court of appeal for residents of the localities (shnongs). They need to be strengthened but that strength will only emerge if the VAB becomes a modern progressive instrument. No society can be stuck in a time warp without serious consequences. And I believe we have come to a point especially in urban centres where permanent and genuine non-tribals cannot be passive members of the Dorbar Shnong. They are equal stakeholders in the system. If there are suspicions these should be dealt with and not allowed to fester.
Lastly, this recent flashpoint also serves as a learning curve that the hawkers have come of age and know their power to manage politics. This is a huge constituency that can no longer be ignored. And interestingly, most of them are not from Shillong but have come here to earn their livelihood. Shillong can deny them that space at its peril.
Patricia Mukhim is a social activist and the editor of Shillong Times.