In the minds of many people, Shillong the capital of erstwhile Assam and later Meghalaya, has always been remembered with fondness for its natural beauty and a friendly and hospitable people. Those were the days when Shillong was the main educational hub of the entire north east and also the most preferred summer retreat. Indeed, it may be said that there are few in the region who have not been touched by the charms of Shillong of the yesteryears. After the mid-80s, Shillong unfortunately changed due to various factors and gradually lost its charm as ‘Scotland of the East.’ A peaceful and tourist-friendly environment was under siege by a growing divide between communities when parochial politics made it seem like Shillong was not going to remain as the paradise of the north east any more. Upsurge in local versus non-local politics has brought contemporary society in Meghalaya to disharmony and conflicts within the multi-heterogeneous and multi-cultural society. Shillong and not Meghalaya, reflects a wider composition of a civilised cosmopolitan citizenry of those who belong to various ethnic and religious backgrounds. There are non-tribal communities like Bengali Hindus whose forefathers are believed to have migrated from Bangladesh, Nepalis and Sikhs besides other communities. The migration of non-tribal workers from other parts of India, besides Bangladesh and Nepal, over the decades has caused unease and insecurity among local residents.After a two-month lull since violence broke out over ILP, Shillong was rocked, not by rock music but clashes between communities and police again. Three persons were killed last week in clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups. The recent violence in Shillong which was triggered by the controversial and divisive Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has also reopened old wounds and a reminder to all denizens of Shillong that the good old days are over. The Khasi Students Union(KSU) has been demanding the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP)under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act 1873 for the state to keep CAA out of the purview of the state. The Northeast has been opposing the law for an entirely different reason- the vulnerability of ethnic communities in view of the influx of outsiders. Last year in December, the Meghalaya assembly passed a resolution asking the Centre to introduce ILP in the state so as to keep it out of the purview of CAA but there has been no response. The KSU activists clashed with some Bengali migrants at a village bordering Bangladesh in which one KSU member died. The battle then shifted to Shillong where clashes took place between locals and non-locals and the deaths of two more. It may be recalled that there were riots between indigenous tribal groups and migrants in 1979, 1987 and 1992. Ethnic tensions among the tribes themselves have made the situation rather complicated. Young Khasis today are unhappy that business has been totally dominated by outsiders and even jobs are being cornered by them. The outsiders or non-locals are not necessarily recent arrivals as a good number are domiciled citizens of the state. The non-locals seem determined to fight for their constitutional rights and here is where the issue becomes complicated. However, there are no easy or quick solutions to the problems which have been compounded over several decades and the CAA has only added to the problem.