More than 80 members of the Bengali Hindu community in Meghalaya had recently written to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, saying that they were “shocked and pained” at the recent claim that all Bengali residents in the state are illegal migrants, and urged him to take urgent steps to secure the “fundamental, constitutional and legal rights” of all citizens, as reported in North East Now.

Tensions between tribal groups and Bengali Hindus in Meghalaya rose to the surface around a month ago when banners went up in Shillong, calling Bengali Hindus “Bangladeshis”.

“Bangladeshis stop your atrocities in Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, and Mizoram,” said one banner. “All Meghalaya Bengalis are Bangladeshis,” said another. They were signed by the Khasi Students’ Union, a powerful tribal body in Meghalaya.

The citizens said that they were “deeply hurt by the provocative narrative” and the “misplaced vilification campaign”, despite a long history of “our mutual co-existence between the tribal groups in Meghalaya and Bengalis”. They also wrote, “This is an insult to our long and historical relationships with the Hill brethren and our pride as Citizens of India. To us it appears that there is an open threat to our very existence in the state.” The letter also added that “for centuries the Bengalis have had nurtured an umbilical relationship” with the Khasis, and the Garos.

The author is a student member of the Amity centre of Happiness