“Meghalaya: How identity politics, reservation and Church influence turned a model of indigenous protection into a warning tale”, HinduVoice, 23 August, 2026.
“65,000 HINDUS DISPLACED AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF NON-TRIBAL CITIZENS FACING SYSTEMIC ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
1. Violence, Identity Politics and the Normalisation of Exclusion
The latest violence directed against ethnic Assamese and Bengali residents and workers in Shillong on 19 August, following a rally organised by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), marks another grave episode in Meghalaya’s long-running cycle of ethnic targeting. At least 31 vehicles, predominantly driven by persons from Assam, were vandalised, while Bengali and Assamese residents were subjected to stone-pelting and physical assault. The violence also extended to the targeted vandalisation of sculptures and idols commemorating national icons Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda.
The attacks have generated widespread discussion regarding both the conduct of the perpetrators and the response of the administration. Sections of the media have reported the deep frustration and sense of abandonment among Bengali Hindu residents of RR Colony, who have accused political leaders of approaching the Bengali community for votes during elections while failing to provide basic security and dignity of life when members of the community are systematically targeted. Yet the violence did not end on 19 August. Attacks on vehicles bearing Assamese registration numbers continued on 20 and 21 August, receiving considerably less attention from the mainstream media.
Hinduism
The subsequent police action has itself become a matter of controversy. The arrests of KSU president Raymond Kharjana, general secretary Reuben Najiar and vice-president Pynkmenlang Sanmiet, along with police action against the organisation’s Shillong office, has been viewed by a significant section of local residents as unnecessary and excessive. More importantly, these arrests and police measures did not bring the violence to an end………………………..”
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