Two killed as GHADC polls spark unrest in Meghalaya

The West Garo Hills district administration extended curfew for another 48 hours and blocked internet access amid the death of two persons and escalating violence that erupted over a notification barring non-tribals from contesting the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) scheduled to be held on April 10.
Two persons were killed and several sustained injuries when police opened fire to disperse an unruly mob of several hundred went on a rampage and set shops on fire and attacked police personnel at Chibinang town under Phulbari assembly constituency in the plains belt of West Garo Hills late Monday night.
Violence spilled over to Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills, on Tuesday with unruly mob setting ablaze two vehicles and pelted stones at Tura Police Station and Chandmari Beat House.
“One person was killed in a police firing and another died in a melee, and several others were injured,” Abraham T. Sangma, the district police chief of West Garo Hills, said. Mob violence erupted in the Chibinang area after several hundred people came out to the Chibinang market area, clashing with police, which led to the firing. “The law-and-order situation at Chibanang area is under control with the army staging a flag march. We have deployed the Army and CRPF troopers to assist the state machinery to quell the situation,” Sangma said.
Sangma said the situation in Tura remained tense and necessary steps have been taken to restore normalcy. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma visited the Phulbari area and interacted with various community leaders and appeal for the maintenance of peace and communal harmony.
Officials said that the Chief Minister has also instructed the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills district to convene peace committee meetings involving all local communities. Violence in the Chibanang area, which is largely dominated by Muslim community, stemmed out after a former Meghalaya legislator S.G. Esmatur Mominin, aspiring to contest the elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), was allegedly assaulted by miscreants in Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills, on Monday morning.
Mominin, a Bengali-speaking Muslim, was allegedly assaulted on the first day of filing of nomination for GHADC elections scheduled to be held on April 10. The filing of nomination papers under Rule 124(2) of the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, will conclude on March 16.
Unlike in the previous GHADC elections, candidates aspiring to contest the upcoming council polls are now required to produce a valid Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate recognised by Meghalaya government when filing their nomination papers.
The outgoing Executive Committee of the GHADC led by National People’s Party (NPP), had resolved that only individuals with demonstrable ST status are eligible to contest elections to the Council.
“The resolution was taken in the context of safeguarding customary laws, traditions, and the socio-political identity of the indigenous tribal communities of the Garo Hills,” a GAD official of GHADC said.
While indigenous Garo civil society groups have defended the GHADC’s February 17 notification, which makes it mandatory for all candidates to possess a ST certificate, non-tribal leaders have criticised the notification as an ‘unconstitutional move’ to deprive them of their rights.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the government has no plan to defer the tribal council polls.
“The situation does not warrant deferring the GHADC elections. We have rushed in additional force to restore normalcy in the affected areas. The Chief Minister has held a meeting with senior government officials. We have assessed the situation and will ensure to maintain law and order,” he asserted.
The GHADC has 30 constituencies. Elections are held in 29 seats, while the State Governor nominates a member.