FKJGP wants circuit house in SWKH be renamed after Khasi freedom fighter

MAWKYRWAT, July 9: The Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Mawkyrwat circle, on Wednesday called on South West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, B. Mawlong, requesting that the Circuit House at Mawkyrwat be named after freedom fighter U Sngap Sing Syiem, King of Hima Maharam, who was the last Khasi king to fight against the British.
According to FKJGP Mawkyrwat circle general secretary, Enbor Syiemiong, the Federation and other pressure groups from the district had, in the past, repeatedly raised this issue with the district administration. “We feel that it is right to honour our only freedom fighter who fought against the British for the cause of the nation,” he said.
Syiemiong also stated that the purpose of erecting the statue of U Sngap Sing Syiem on the premises of the Circuit House, Mawkyrwat, by the district administration after consulting different stakeholders in the district was to honour the freedom fighter of Hima Maharam.
Therefore, the FKJGP urged the DC to take the matter seriously and ensure that the Circuit House is named after the freedom fighter.
According to Syiemiong, the DC, during the meeting, assured the FKJGP of raising the issue with the higher authorities.
According to Rev. SD Marwein, in the Souvenir of the Hima Maharam, the fight between U Sngap Sing and the British forces lasted almost seven years, from 1833 to 1839. It was in the battle at Nongnah, the tableland of Meghalaya, that thousands of British soldiers were killed. However, in February 1839, U Sngap Sing surrendered before the British after being betrayed by his brother, Bermit Syiem.