SHILLONG: Tennydard M Marak, who has challenged the Scheduled Tribe status of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has cited the provisions of the United Nations Declaration to counter the claim of Sangma that the mother of the Chief Minister had been assimilated into Garo society.
In a recent submission before the State Level Scrutiny Committee, the Chief Minister has said that the process of assimilation is a common practice in the Garo community and for that purpose, the customs of Deragata, Debaa and Ma. Chana are common prevailing practices among the Garos.
However, in a statement issued to the media on Monday, Marak said that the indigenous tribal people and individuals had the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture as per United Nations Declaration.
The Chief Minister in his submission has also said that there are numerous instances in which Garo men have married non-Garo women and their children have been brought up in Garo traditions.
The committee has been formed by the Meghalaya Government to probe into the Scheduled Tribe status of the Chief Minster. Petitioner Tennydard Marak has argued before the commission that Dr Sangma’s mother is a non-Garo.
The Chief minister has said in his submission that in these instances of Garo men marrying non-Garo women the children are brought up in Garo family environment, their modes of living are as per Garo custom and practices and all these are accepted by the Garo society for all intents and purposes.
Tennydard said that the claim of the Chief Minister before the State Level Committee that his mother the late Roushanara Begum had attained the status of tribal by self-claimed adoption (Deragata) as a means of assimilation of a non-Garo person to the Garo community by the Manda clan was a clear infringement of the Garo customary law and practices. The United Nations Declaration in article 8 points out that indigenous tribal people and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.
“Hence, the adoption or Deragata of Roushanara Begum into Garo Community as a means of assimilation cannot be said to be valid and not sustainable by the eye of the law,” Tennydard said. Roushanara Begum was the daughter of the late Amiruddin Ali Ahmed, an advocate in Nagaon in Assam. The Manda clan was the clan of the Chief Minister’s grandfather, Manda Mahari of Badalkona.
Tennydard also alleged that though the Supreme Court in its order on January 20 this year had directed the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes , New Delhi, to dispose of the matter on merits and in accordance with law within eight weeks which expired on March 24, the Commission could not complete the task “due to the inaction of Chief Secretary WMS Pariat in providing the reply within March 21 in spite of two reminder letters of the Commission on February 14 this year and March 18.