The ongoing violence in Shillong with the local Khasis pitted against Mazhabi Sikh settlers is not without precedent. The latest trouble began when an altercation between a Khasi bus driver and Sikh women careened out of control after initially being contained by the police. The Punjabis happen to be on land which is centrally located leading to some demands that the colony be relocated. The location of the Punjabi settlement in what is now prime land is another problem, though the original settlers had no choice in the matter. What makes the Shillong problem more dangerous is the absence of any tangible civil society, which often functions to calm tensions and bring people together.

Source: Hindustan Times June 05, 2018 12:33 UTC