By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 8: Amid the ongoing debate surrounding the Reservation Police, OR Challam, former president of Sein Raij and retired history professor, has asserted that the Jaintia community is a distinct tribe and not a sub-tribe of Khasi, following a recent controversy in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
This follows remarks by Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, who referred only to the “Khasi” community while discussing the “Khasi-Jaintia” reservation category during the budget session. While Basaiawmoit later clarified that he intended to promote unity rather than exclude the Jaintias, the omission has sparked a public debate on tribal identity.
Challam, who served as Head of the History Department at Kiang Nangbah Government College, Jowai, expressed disappointment over the remarks, stating they have reopened a long-standing question. He cautioned “self-made historians” against reinterpreting history through selective references.
Providing historical context, Challam noted that the Jaintia Kingdom flourished from approximately 500 AD until its annexation by the British in 1835. He also cited the 1861–1862 resistance led by freedom fighter U Kiang Nangbah as a defining chapter of Jaintia history.
Constitutively, Challam pointed out that the Jaintia people are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe, with the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council established under the Sixth Schedule. He further highlighted that the community maintains a unique cultural identity through the Niamtre faith and the Pnar language.
While stressing that his aim is not to create division, Challam argued that unity should not come at the cost of erasing distinct identities. To avoid future confusion, he suggested the state government consider revising the reservation category terminology to “Jaintia, Khasi, and Garo.”
Acknowledging the separate identities of the three major tribes, he said, would ensure fairness and preserve harmony within the state.
