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Khasis warn Nepalis to leave Meghalaya for good
SILIGURI, MAY 17 -
The indigenous Khasi community in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya has issued an ultimatum to minority Nepali speaking people there to leave.
On Monday, Chairman of the Khasi Ethnic Organisation, Prayanki Kharumanuid, asked the Nepali speaking people to leave within 24 hours after he visited the Langapi area.
On Sunday, members of the Khasi community clashed with Nepali speaking people at Langapi. Seven persons were killed and 27 others injured after police intervened.
Both Meghalaya and Assam, a neighbouring state, have been laying claim over the bordering Langapi village since long.
“The main cause of the clash is the dispute over Langapi village between Meghalaya and Assam. We never imagined the dispute could take such a nasty turn,” said Rahot Gautam, editor of Sapariwar Nepali magazine published from Meghalaya.
Following the incident, the Khasi people have warned the Nepali diaspora in Langapi and Juwai villages to leave at the earliest. They have also threatened Nepali migrant labourers, mostly working in coal mines, to quit work and leave the place.
According to TR Joshi of the Meghalaya Gorkha Welfare Centre, the Khasis have been intimidating the Nepali community there. According to Joshi, the Khasis have started torching houses of Nepali speaking people.
Indian people of Nepali origin account for 2.6 percent of the total population in Meghalaya. Security has been beefed up in Meghalaya and Assam following the incident.
Posted on: 2010-05-18 07:49
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