Deaths, arson force Meghalaya govt to postpone Garo Hills Council elections

Guwahati: Meghalaya government on Wednesday decided to postpone the elections for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in view of the clashes between the tribals and the non-tribals, in which two people died and several houses and shops were burnt since Monday night.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said the decision has been taken keeping in mind the prevailing situation and the sentiments of the people.

"We will sit and decide on how to take the process forward," Sangma said in a video message.

Sangma's decision came a day after two people died following a clash between tribals and the non-tribals in West Garo Hill district, in Chibinang and Tura, on Monday night.

In a statement, the state government on Tuesday night said although the exact cause of the two deaths could not be ascertained yet, the conflict started due to objections by the tribals to participation of non-tribals in the council polls scheduled on April 10.

The administration deployed additional forces including five columns of the Army, three companies of the CRPF and one company of the Rapid Action Force, and special forces from Assam. Curfew was clamped and mobile internet was suspended for 48-hours on Tuesday, as part of efforts to quell the tension.

Later in the evening, CM Conrad K Sangma in a statement said information suggested that groups of people were marching towards his house to burn it and attack his family. He was advised to relocate to a safer place but the CM refused saying he is not afraid.

It said several areas reported arson including attack on religious centre. Sangma appealed all for peace.

Despite the decision, violent protests were reported from Tura while hundreds took to the streets in the state capital Shillong, about 300 km away, who alleged the government's failure to protect the interests of the tribals.

Root of the tension

Tension prevailed in Garo Hills due to strong protest by non-tribals over a recent notification by the council making it mandatory for the candidates to produce a Scheduled Tribe certificate along with nomination papers for the polls. The council also issued another notification barring the non-tribals from buying land in Garo Hills.

The situation turned tense when S.G. Esmatur Mominin, a former non-tribal MLA, went to submit his nomination papers on Monday. Mominin described the GHADC notification "unconstitutional," following which he was allegedly assaulted in Tura, the headquarters of Garo Hills. This led to a conflict between the tribals and the non-tribals on Monday night.

Tribals have been demanding that non-tribals should be barred from contesting the polls as the council was set up under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for welfare of the tribals.

Non-tribal populations, mainly Bengali-speaking Muslims, are dominant in five out of 30 constituencies of the autonomous council. There are two non-tribal members in the council at present. The tribals allege that most of the Bengali-speaking Muslims are Bangladeshis and pose a threat to ethnic identity of the indigenous communities.

Garo Hills shares a border with Bangladesh and Assam's Goalpara district having a sizable Muslim population. Many Muslims, who entered Garo Hills for work including coal mining, settled there and the increase in their population over the years raised tension among the local communities.