Appeals for calm in Indian state

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Police in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya have appealed for calm after indigenous tribal leaders told migrant labourers to leave.

The migrants, most of them alleged to be Nepalis and Bangladeshis working in the state's coal mines, are in panic.

Tribal leaders have set 1 May as the deadline for migrants to clear out or "face dire consequences".

Several north-eastern states, including Meghalaya, have a long tradition of anti-migrant violence.

Separatist rebels killed nearly 80 Hindi-speaking migrants in the neighbouring state of Assam in January.

Fleeing

In the past week, thousands of "quit-notices" have been served to migrant labourers in the coal fields that stretch from Borsora to Nongkalang village in the Ri Lyngngam area of West Khasi Hill district of Meghalaya.

The migrants, who speak Bengali, Hindi and Nepali, are said to be in a state of panic and some have already fled to the neighbouring states of Assam or West Bengal.

Many others say they too may have to flee if denied adequate protection.

Police, however, are downplaying the panic in the area.

Khasis are encouraged to have large families (Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee)

"Some local groups occasionally do these things but nobody should panic. We will protect all," said the district's additional superintendent of police S Nongtnger.

But the Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Peoples (FKJGP) - which represents indigenous tribespeople of Meghalaya - is determined to evict all migrant labourers.

Khasis, Garos and Jaintias are the three main indigenous tribes of Meghalaya.

Emlang Lytan, the federation president, says it is "high time" the state government took the issue of illegal migration seriously.

Otherwise, local people will take law into their own hands, he warns.

Warning

"Thousands of migrants from Bangladesh and Nepal have come and settled down in the coal mines. They have brought gambling and other illegal activities to the area. We are determined to throw them out ," Mr Lytan told the BBC.

"We will not spare any migrant if they don't leave by 1 May," he said and warned coal mine companies against giving shelter to the migrant labourers.

"The companies should employ locals and respect local sentiments," Mr Lytan said.

The federation's executive council met on 1 April in the state capital, Shillong, and decided to start issuing the quit-notices.

Some shops belonging to the migrants were also attacked in the Nongjri market in the coal belt.

But police have dismissed it all as "minor scuffles".

The federation claims to enjoy the support of all tribal organisations in their campaign against illegal migration.

The Meghalaya government says it is committed to protecting all Indian citizens in the state.

Chief Minister DD Lapang has said the federation threat "should not be taken too seriously".

"We are keeping a close watch on the situation," he said.

Meghalaya's tribespeople are often paranoid about being swamped by migrants.

Earlier in the year, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council started giving financial rewards to Khasi tribal mothers with more than 15 children as part of its declared mission "to save Khasis from being outnumbered by outsiders".

"We have enough land but if our Khasi people don't grow in numbers, migrants from Bangladesh or elsewhere in India will occupy that living space," said the council chairman HS Shylla.

The Hill district council is an elected autonomous body of the Khasi tribe and the state government generally avoids interfering with their functioning in matters of local customs and traditions.

States in north-east India, including Meghalaya, have a long tradition of anti-migrant violence.

In Meghalaya, Bengali and Nepali speaking migrants faced attacks throughout the 1980s.