HPC warns demolition of religious places in Sweepers’ Colony

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 8, 2021

The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) on Monday said it is upset at the Meghalaya government for holding an olive branch in one hand by publicly inviting them for talks for an amicable solution and wielding the axe with another by talking about unilateral eviction of the people from the Punjabi lane.

In a letter to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said,“This is a litmus test for the honesty, justice and integrity of the Meghalaya government. It is also the test of our tenacity and determination to fight back and save our homes. We are committed to holding on till our last breath and Sikh history bears testimony to our determination.”

Citing Sikh history and the determination of the Sikhs to fight for their legitimate rights, Singh said, “in the interest of justice and fair play, the present situation of the Shillong Sikhs, resident here for the last two hundred years, is a litmus test for the honesty, justice and integrity of the Meghalaya government. It is also the test of our tenacity and determination to fight back and save our homes. We are committed to holding on till our last breath and Sikh history bears testimony to our determination”.

HPC secretary in his letter appreciates the positive change of heart, evidenced in the public statement of the CM’s readiness to talk to Shillong Sikhs but has sought for a formal agenda-based invitation from the chief minister.

“We never received an invitation from the High Level Committee (HLC) inviting us for discussion in the last three and a half years. On the contrary, we have consistently been given veiled threats of forcible eviction. May I mention that not once in the last three years since the trouble in 2018, have you invited us for talks or even affirmatively responded to our problems and concerns? Your statement and that of your Deputy that HLC did not receive any representation or objections from the affected people is far from true,” reads the letter of the HPC.

Challenging the government to produce names and details of the 40 families who have been allotted accommodation by the government of Meghalaya, as recently stated by the chief minister, the HPC secretary has categorically asked, “Will you be kind enough to provide to the members of the public, the details of the names, dates and copies of the allotment of quarters to the 40 families on the recommendation of the HLC report submitted on September 28.”

Taking the government of Meghalaya to task for not disclosing the contents of the tripartite agreement reached between the government, the Acting Syiem of Hima Mylliem and the Urban Affairs department, the letter has alleged that the government is hiding facts.

It goes on to say, “What is so sacrosanct that it is not being made available even through RTI? Is it that the 31 March 2020 date is an ex-post facto afterthought to circumvent contempt of court? Is it that it has signed the agreement with the Acting Syiem while he cannot legally do it? Is it also not true that the young Acting Syiem has been put under pressure to execute the document?”

Appreciating the call of the chief minister to abide by the law and all court orders, the HPC said that the government will do well to honour “the order of the High Court of Meghalaya at Shillong on 15 February 2019, wherein Justice SR Sen has directed not to disturb the residents of the area without civil proceedings regarding the title of land and that of Justice More ordering status-quo on 9 April 2021 and the stay orders of the National Commission for Minorities and that of the National Human Rights Commission.”

Rejecting the step by step approach of the state government, HPC says that “this is a pre-meditated step involving shifting government offices and government employees to an “unknown designated area”, and then having segregated us, forcing us into submission.”

In the letter to the CM, Singh has vehemently posed the question, “We have yet to fathom why the government is eyeing only our 2.5 acres of land? This is clear discrimination against Sikhs. There are so many other occupancies untouched by the Meghalaya government.”

He added, “Our benign sentiments are attached to our humble abode, surroundings and people living here. Our children were born and brought up here. We have all been educated here. Our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers lived, married and died here. For the last nearly two centuries, because of the love of the people and the atmosphere of tolerance, we have never thought of returning to Punjab. By all accounts, we are people of this land. We speak the local language, celebrate local customs and festivals with full pomp and glory. The Sikh community here has always maintained amicable relations with all local people.”

Sounding a stern warning regarding the proposed demolition of religious places in the Punjabi lane area, Singh said, “As a responsible citizen, I impress upon your government that it should not burdge on the path of hurting the religious sentiments of the people by destroying the Gurdwara, the Hindu temple, the Church and the school in the name of Guru Nanak in the Punjabi lane at Bara Bazar.”

“Let it be clear to all that we are not a handful of disgruntled elements but Sikhs, Hindus and Christians are on the same platform, united to fight the viciousness of the government to deprive us of our homes, our religious places and we all have resolved that to continue our peaceful, social and legal struggle to protect our rights,” he added.