Shillong/Udalguri, Oct. 15: Shocked by the attacks on the members of their community in Assam, Garos in Meghalaya today asked the government to check the entry of illegal migrants in Garo Hills as normality tiptoed back in Udalguri district.

The Achik National Congress (Democratic), a regional political party based in Garo Hills, condemned the violence against Garos in Assam which had displaced nearly 5,000 families now sheltered in the relief camps in Udalguri.

The general secretary of the party, Mathias Marak, said the killings might spark fear in the community in Meghalaya as migrants dominate the plains in Garo Hills.

“As many migrants are settled in Garo Hills, we urge the Meghalaya government to initiate necessary steps to check their illegal entry which may lead to serious trouble in the near future,” Marak said.

The party felt that the flare-up in Assam reminded the people of Garo Hills about the communal clash in 1987 between the Garos and Muslims in Garo Hills.

It also wanted the Assam government to provide adequate compensation to the clash-hit Garo families and security to the Garos who are a minority in Assam.

The party appealed to the Garos living in Assam to stand united at this juncture.

The GSU has decided to visit Udalguri on Saturday to distribute relief materials to the affected Garo people.

“We are collecting three truckloads of relief materials,” the GSU Khasi Hills zone president, Sanjeeb Sangma, said today. In Udalguri, people have started venturing out to markets and public places, albeit with some trepidation.

The movement of vehicles in the district, including on National Highway 52, passing through the district, has also become normal.

But despite a turnaround in the situation, those living in relief camps are yet to be convinced about the security once they return home.

Though the male inmates of the relief camps go to their villages during the day, they return to the camps in the evening as a sense of insecurity still prevails among them.

“We want to go back to our villages but there is still a threat to our lives without adequate security,” said Mamoni Das of Kuptimari, an inmate of Barnagaon relief camp.

“The paddy in the field is ripe and it is time to cut. So we want to go back as soon as possible,” another inmate at the camp said.

“We do not know what action the government is taking. We are farmers and we cannot fight with anyone.

“Nor do we know the language of politics. But we want help from the government to restore peace. We have our children’s future, their education to consider. How long can we stay in relief camps? We want peace so that we can back to our villages and home. We want security,” said Anima Basumatary, another inmate of the camp.

The district administration has relaxed the curfew for 8 hours daily from 8am to 4pm.