New Delhi: bjp Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh were blamed for violence in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills on Friday, accusing them of causing demographic changes and trying to wrest the rights of the local tribal population Senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party Ravi Shankar Prasad said the violence occurred after tribals protested against the attempt of former MP Estamur Momin to file his nomination for the Garo Hills Autonomous Region Assembly elections. The former federal minister claimed that only tribals would be allowed to participate in the polls. Recently, two people were killed in police firing during clashes as Garo community groups expressed dissatisfaction over the submission of electoral nominations by non-Garo candidates. This comes after the Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday dismissed a notification requiring the provision of scheduled tribal certificates while filing nominations for the GHACD polls. Prasad alleged that there was tension in the area and Bangladeshi infiltrators were violating the rights of tribals after settling in large numbers. He said many of them married tribal girls, obtained certificates of tribal reservation rights and then separated. He claimed that they had adopted similar tactics in Jharkhand and West Bengal. “The BJP condemns attempts by non-tribals to seize tribal rights. Demographic changes are infringing on their land rights and political representation,” he said, noting that this was a sensitive area bordering Bangladesh. The state government postponed the vote due to tensions.
