SHILLONG, July 11: The Opposition UDP has stressed the need for strict implementation of the Khasi Social Custom of Lineage Act, 1997, in issuing Khasi tribe certificates that is required to eventually obtain the Schedule Tribe (ST) certificate.
Moving a motion on the issue during the ongoing Summer Session of the KHADC, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Titosstrarwell Chyne highlighted that the Act specifies that children born to a Khasi mother and non-Khasi father can receive the Khasi tribe certificate only if they speak Khasi language.
Chyne pointed out that many children from such unions, who do not speak Khasi, are still obtaining ST certificates by meeting other necessary requirements. This, he rued, allows them to purchase land and benefit from reservation policies.
Chyne then urged the KHADC EC to enforce the Act’s provisions, ensuring children from mixed marriages obtain the Khasi certificate from the Council before applying for the ST certificate.
Echoing similar views, UDP MDC from Mawthadraishan, Jambor War, noted that some political leaders encourage people not to adopt their mother’s surname, threatening to dilute the matrilineal system.
War emphasized the importance of adhering to the Act while issuing Khasi tribe certificates to the customary practices of the Khasis.
“We cannot have two kinds of systems in our society. We need to protect our customary practices, which are followed from time immemorial at all cost,” he said.
In his reply, KHADC Deputy CEM PN Syiem stated that deputy commissioners must follow the Act’s provisions when issuing ST certificates.
According to Syiem, the Act states clearly that children born to a Khasi mother and non-Khasi father must obtain the Khasi tribe certificate from the Council first. The Act, he added, also defines that individuals using their father’s surname are no longer Khasi, even if both parents are Khasi. “Anyone who no longer follows the matrilineal system is no longer a Khasi,” Syiem asserted.
Syiem further noted that while some refer to the 1950 Presidential Notification that recognises Khasi as a Schedule Tribe, the Khasi Lineage Act provides a clear definition of who is considered Khasi. “The Presidential Notification of 1950 will not stand since one has to follow the matrilineal system to be recognised as Khasi as per the Act,” he concluded.