KSU Agitation: When Indigenous Assertion Crosses the Limits of Law

The latest agitation by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in Meghalaya is apparently a continuation of a crusade for the protection of indigenous rights and interests and against the interests of the so-called ‘outsiders’ aka non-tribals. Over and again, definitions of ‘outsiders’ have evolved, with an analogy between genuine non-tribals of the state and those from outside sinking well with the people of the state. But the irony is that the definition has remained elusive for pressure groups in the state, particularly the KSU. On the flip side, with due credit to the student body, it has handed a 5-point charter of demands to the Government of…