By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Mao-mong Manda Mahari Ku-monggrikani clan has clarified that Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Manda Sangma and his siblings were born and brought up in the Manda Mahari family and all of them are Garos belonging to the ‘Manda’ Sangma clan by birth and, hence, Scheduled Tribes.
Reacting to the allegations of the All North East Indigenous Garo Law Promoter Association (ANEIGLPA) that the Chief Minister is not a member of the ‘Garo’ community, secretary of the Manda Mahari clan, Lonerson Ch Marak, pointed out that the clan was aware of the facts relating to Dr. Sangma’s parentage, place of birth and education beginning from the Lower Primary School and also his clan (Mahari).
According to Lonerson, the father of the Chief Minister, Binoy Bushan M Marak, was married to late Roshanara Begum at village Murchapani in Garo Hills in 1960, in accordance with the Christian Marriage Act, administered by late Asin D Shira, Ex-Pastor of Ampati Baptist church.
“After her baptism and marriage, Roshanara Begum was ex-communicated by her relatives. Following their marriage, she was legally adopted on June 26, 1960 by late Rakmi Manda Sangma and her husband late Gosin Ch. Marak of village Bandalkona in Garo Hills (then Assam) and presently under South West Garo Hills, Ampati, as one of their legal daughters according to culture of the Garos,” Lonerson said.
“Subsequent to the adoption, late Begum became the legal daughter of late Rakmi Manda Sangma and late Gosin Ch. Marak and changed her surname from Begum to Manda Sangma and had been a member of the Manda clan (Mahari),” he added.
Earlier, ANEIGLPA had demanded cancellation of the Chief Minister Scheduled Tribe certificate, alleging that the certificate was obtained through ‘fraudulent means’.
