Marriages, history shows us, are often tactical arrangements between rulers to expand empires, strengthen political alliances, establish peace between warring nations, avoid wars or create harmony in a conflict-ridden society. The Romans did it, the Mughals followed suit, and Nepal's rulers were no different, in the seventh century marrying off Princess Bhrikuti to powerful emperor Songtsan Gampo of Tibet. Similarly, in the eighth century, King Jayadev II of Nepal brought home Rajyamati, daughter of Harshavardan, the king of Kamrup, Assam.
In contrast, when Kul Bahadur Magar, a Nepali coalmine worker in an area of Meghalaya that borders Kamrup, married Deng, a local ethnic Khasi woman, he did not have lofty goals of alliance building or peace-making. 'Who thinks like that?' asked 45-year-old Magar. 'I liked her, she liked me. We were both young and one day we married.' That was 13 years ago. Since then, the couple has been living peacefully in a shack with their four children, near the coalmine where Magar works. But their peace has now been shattered. The simmering mistrust between Nepali-speakers and the local Khasi community erupted into full-scale conflict during the course of May. Several Gorkhas (Nepali-speaking Indians) and migrants from Nepal were killed, the tragedies highlighting the constant vulnerability of both categories of Nepali-speaking residents of the Northeast.
At the heart of the conflict lies a beautiful village called Langpih (or Lampi), claimed by both Assam and Meghalaya. Both states are strongly backed by villagers sharply divided along ethnic lines. The Gorkhas want the present Assamese authority in the village unchallenged, while the Khasi feel the area belongs to Meghalaya. The dispute has existed since 1972, when new states were created in the Northeast, and Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. Occasional arson and the stealing of crops belonging to members of the opposing community have been common in the area. But the latent tensions came to the world's attention on 14 May, when the Assamese police gunned down four Khasi who were part of a mob attacking Gorkhas in the village and at the police checkpost. The mob had planned to attack the Gorkhas, particularly their leader, Chakra Bahadur Chhetri, who the Khasi feel represents and promotes the interests of Assamese administration in the village.
In turn, the Khasi started to vent their anger against Nepalis and Gorkhas throughout Meghalaya. While attacking or issuing quit notices, the Khasi rarely differentiate Gorkhas from Nepali migrants. But lately they have been raising voices against the provision of the 1950 Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty that allows the free movement of citizens from one country to another. The Khasi feel that this provision should not be implemented in Meghalaya, so as to stop the flow of Nepali migrant workers from Nepal. The Khasi blame Nepali migrants for 'stealing' their jobs – charges that Nepali migrants reject, saying it is the locals who own and run the coalmines, and hire Nepalis as cheap labour.