Sanjha Morcha

‘All would’ve been killed, but for our brave youth’ Shillong’s Punjabi Lane residents still jittery as normalcy returns

‘All would’ve been killed, but for our brave youth’

Curfew relaxed: People move around at Punjabi Lane in Shillong on Thursday. Tribune Photo

Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Shillong, June 7

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“Had our youth from Punjabi Lane not put up a brave resistance, they (the aggressors) would have resorted to genocide,” recounted Gurjeet Singh, the secretary of the Harijan Panchayat Committee and president of the Gurdwara Committee at Punjabi Lane, Bara Bazar, here.“A 400-strong mob, armed with weapons and petrol bombs, came with the obvious intention to raze the colony. The police were caught offguard. But 30-40 youths from the colony, carrying swords, repulsed the attack. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) P Pandey did a commendable job in saving us,” Gurjeet Singh told The Tribune. Punjabi lane has the oldest gurdwara in Meghalaya that was built in 1893. Over the years, because of the burgeoning population of Scheduled Caste Sikhs and other non-tribal communities, the place has turned into a ghetto. Residents come out on the street from their ramshackle dwellings, work and go back. “The process of relocation of residents from Punjabi Colony was initiated way back in 1987. All state governments since then have failed to solve the problem.

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Original land documents are with us. There have been legal issues, but court rulings have been in our favour. If they could evict us legally, they would have done so long ago. But they know they can’t and now intend to resort to force to scare us away,” the community leader said.“When our forefathers arrived here, it was a jungle. Now that the area has become a prime location, they (local Khasi tribe) want to capture it by any means. The latest violence is the handiwork of powerful politicians and some NGOs who want to set up business here. Those who came to attack were merely tools in their hands,” said Baba Joginder Singh, another community leader, who is Jathedar, North East Zone Rangreta Dal.Even as life is limping back to normal with curfew in Punjabi Lane rescheduled (2 pm to 5 am), the residents continue to remain jittery. A high-level committee formed by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to examine the long-standing demand for relocating Punjabi Lane residents held its first meeting and decided to begin the process of collecting documents. The committee chairman and Deputy CM, Preston Tyngson, said they would meet again soon.