Dkhar or Utkhar is a derogatory slur used to refer to non-tribal outsiders in Meghalaya and Assam. The term is mostly used against affluent Bengali Hindu settlers from West Bengal or the Bengali Hindu refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan and Bangladesh.[1] The term is a Khasi word which means a foreigner.[2] It is sometimes abbreviated to Khar. The resentment against the non-tribal outsiders were mostly against the Bengalis and the Nepalis who constituted bulk of the non-tribal population of the state.[3] In 1979-80, Khasi mobs attacked the Bengali speaking people in Meghalaya resulting in an ethnic cleansing.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Mitra, Sumit (15 December 1979). "Unwanted millions". India Today. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ Roy, Nilanjana (23 September 2002). "Outsider Perils". Outlook. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ Choudhury, Samrat (April 2011). "Behind The Scenes". Motherland Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ Choudhury, Samrat (5 April 2006). "Not that foreign an issue". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 5 September 2014.