Tura, Jan 13: Days of fear and flight are slowly giving way to normalcy in the West Garo Hills district that witnessed a mass exodus of the non-tribal working population from Tura and other towns following the attack and subsequent death of a Garo organization member in the plains belt region of the district.
The non-tribal labour and trading population that form the bulk of the work force in Tura and almost all major towns on Garo Hills are slowly returning to their stations after close to a week thanks to the positive response and initiative from the government and civil society groups.
Non-tribal traders arrived at one of the largest weekly markets of Garo Hills- at Garobadha on Tuesday to do brisk business signalling a return to normal life. Even remote Purakhasia market in the border region of West Garo Hills witnessed the presence of outside traders on Tuesday.
But Tura and other district towns of Garo Hills continue to face labour shortage and limited supply of vegetables and other items supplied by traders from outside. Construction workers and vegetable suppliers are yet to return to work in town leading to a large shortage in labour.
To make matters worse, rumour mills have been working overtime, through social media, to create a state of fear and panic by spreading false stories aimed at triggering violence.
On Monday, a brief altercation between a group of laborers and an intoxicated man in the Tura market area was quickly made to look like a clash between two communities by social media followers.
Similarly, men with criminal antecedents tried to attack some non-local drivers of pik-up trucks at Baiza village, outside Williamnagar town, on Tuesday morning compelling them to seek help from a police post on the highway. The attackers were reportedly in a black suv and police teams have fanned out to arrest the culprits and seize the vehicle.
Fake stories spread through social media are believed to be the reason for the current scenario.
West Garo Hills police have already arrested four persons involved in the attack and subsequent murder of a member of the ACHIK organization that triggered the current unrest.
