Two Muslims killed in ethnic violence in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Two Bengali Muslim men were killed and dozens of homes and businesses belonging to Muslims were attacked after ethnic violence erupted in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya amid tensions linked to upcoming regional council elections.

The victims, identified as Khairul Islam and Ashraful Islam, died during unrest earlier this week in the West Garo Hills district, a remote border region of Meghalaya that lies near Bangladesh. Violence broke out in Chibinang, an area in the plains belt where both tribal Garo communities and Bengali-origin Muslims live.

According to Meghalaya police chief Idashisha Nongrum, the deaths occurred in the early hours of Tuesday after groups gathered in defiance of restrictions imposed by authorities. Post-mortem examinations conducted at Tura Civil Hospital later determined that the victims were not killed by police gunfire.

Officials said one man died after being attacked with a sharp weapon, while the other suffered fatal gunshot wounds from a locally made firearm.

Police said officers deployed to control the unrest had fired blank rounds in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Authorities added that the autopsy findings confirmed that no standard police-issued weapons were responsible for the killings.

The violence also targeted Muslim religious and commercial sites. A large mob vandalized the Jama Masjid in Tura, the main town of West Garo Hills, with footage circulating online showing people climbing onto the mosque structure and surrounding the premises. The mosque’s imam was reportedly assaulted and parts of the building damaged.

Local reports said homes belonging to Muslim residents were attacked and set on fire, while more than 30 shops owned by Bengali Muslim traders in Chibinang and nearby market areas were vandalized or burned.

Authorities responded by imposing a full-day curfew across West Garo Hills and suspending mobile internet services across the broader Garo Hills region for 48 hours in an attempt to prevent further escalation. Additional security forces were deployed to restore order.

The unrest followed growing tensions over eligibility rules for elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, a regional administrative body that governs several districts in Meghalaya under constitutional provisions granting limited self-rule to tribal communities.

Several Garo community organizations have demanded that only members of officially recognized tribal groups be allowed to contest the council elections. The dispute intensified when a Bengali Muslim politician attempted to file nomination papers, triggering protests from tribal groups opposed to non-tribal participation.

Analysts say the conflict reflects longstanding tensions in parts of India’s northeast where tribal political movements often clash with Bengali-origin Muslim communities, who are frequently accused by local groups of being migrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Authorities said security forces remain deployed across the district while investigations into the killings and attacks on Muslim properties continue.