By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Bowing down to the demand of the agitating NGOs, the State Government has assured to finally revoke its earlier order of granting schedule tribe status to Bhong community in Marngar area of Ri Bhoi district.
The assurance came from the Chief Secretary WMS Pariat after six organizations observed a day long hunger strike here on Tuesday to press for the demand to scrap the scheduled tribe (ST) status granted to the Marngar community of Ri-Bhoi district.
After staging the hunger strike, a delegation of NGOs met the Chief Secretary WMS Pariat and asked the State Government to immediately revoke its earlier order.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, KSU president Daniel Khyriem said, “The Chief Secretary assured us that no more Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates would be issued to Marngar community.
Earlier the NGOs had issued a deadline to the State Government to revoke the order following which the NGOs observed a day long hunger strike on Tuesday
According to NGOs, all the ST certificates which have been issued by the State Government would be considered null and void.
“He told us that by Monday he would asked the concerned department for necessary action in this regard,” Khyriem added.
The NGOs asserted that the Marngars who originally belong to Bhong community are not Khasis since they do not speak Khasi and their culture and tradition is different from the Khasis or the Bhoi people.
“Even if they stay in Meghalaya for hundred years then also they cannot be regarded as Scheduled Tribe,” FKJGP working president Joe Marwein told media persons after the meeting.