By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 24: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council or the Dorbar Shnong can do very little to restrict or prohibit Khasi women from marrying non-Khasi men, KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Pyniaid Sing Syiem said on Thursday.
“It is only the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2022 and the KHAD (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) Act, 1997 which can discourage Khasi women from marrying outside their own community,” he said.
Asserting that it is important to keep a check on mixed marriages to protect the Khasi indigenous community, he said the council will take steps to ensure that this “unhealthy trend” in kept in check.
“We cannot prohibit Khasi woman from marrying outside their own community. But we will come up with provisions to ensure that a Khasi woman is stripped off her Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and deprived of other privileges if she marries a non-Khasi,” the KHADC CEM said.
Meanwhile, Syiem said the KHADC is concerned over the fact that people from outside the state are using Khasi surnames which violates the provisions of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) Act, 1997.
“We will also be writing to the district administration and issue notices in the newspapers to restrict the declaration of using the Khasi surname by way of an affidavit. The use of the Khasi surname should be as per the Khasi Social Custom of Lineage Act, 1997,” he said.
The KHADC CEM also said that they have approached Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong with the plea that the authority to issue the ST certificate should be reverted back to the council.
The Khasi Social Custom of Lineage Act, 1997, which was passed by the KHADC in March 1997 and received the Governor’s assent in 2005 was recently amended.
The amendments seek to strip a woman who marries a non-Khasi and her off-springs of their Khasi and Schedule Tribe status.