Violence in GH not govt failure: Tynsong
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 11: As violence continued in parts of Garo Hills, Governor Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar has ordered the postponement of the election to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) until further orders.
The decision was conveyed through a notification issued on Wednesday by Commissioner and Secretary of the District Council Affairs Department, Cyril V.D. Diengdoh.
Earlier, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma announced that the state government had decided to defer the April 10 election to the GHADC after reviewing the prevailing law and order situation in Garo Hills.
Addressing the public through a video message, he said the decision was taken keeping in mind the safety of the people and the difficulties they are facing.
“Dear friends, looking at the current situation in Garo Hills and understanding the difficulties people are facing at the moment, the Government of Meghalaya has decided to postpone GHADC elections,” the Chief Minister said.
Govt distances itself from violence in Garo Hills
The state government has distanced itself from the violent clashes in Garo Hills that stemmed from the issuance of a notification barring non-tribal participation in the GHADC election and the attempt of a non-tribal leader to file nomination for the election.
Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home, Prestone Tynsong, said the matter primarily concerns the functioning and decisions of the GHADC, which operates independently.
Stating that autonomous district councils possess legislative, executive and judicial powers similar to a government within its jurisdiction, he said that the state government cannot be blamed since the district council has its own authority.
Referring to the order of the High Court of Meghalaya which quashed the GHADC notification, Tynsong said the court pointed out procedural lapses in the notification, observing that the decision was taken without following proper legislative process.
According to him, any major decision by a district council must first be approved by the Executive Committee and then, placed before the House for a discussion and approval.
He said an amendment can be sent to the Governor for assent only after it is passed by the House. “In this case, the process was incomplete and not in accordance with established procedures,” he said.
Tynsong added that the council itself could have convened a special session to deliberate on the issue if it was aware of the public sentiment surrounding the matter. He said that a Cabinet meeting would be convened on Thursday to discuss the future course of action.
Lamenting the incidents of violence, he said additional security personnel have been deployed after the Ministry of Home Affairs provided extra forces. He was hopeful that normalcy would return soon.
On reports of two deaths during the violence, Tynsong said the matter is under examination. The deaths may not have been caused by police firing, he said, adding that an inquiry is in progress to ascertain the circumstances.
He, however, confirmed that four injured persons are receiving medical treatment. The district administration has been instructed to ensure proper care, he added.
Tynsong also made it clear that the ongoing unrest in Garo Hills should not be linked with the demand for the Inner Line Permit (ILP), stating that the issue is explicitly related to the GHADC elections.
Tynsong said NGOs opposing the participation of non-tribals in the elections are expressing the aspirations of people. However, he stressed that the matter should not be connected with the ILP demand.
Tynsong argued that many non-tribals residing in the state are also genuine citizens of Meghalaya and India, and therefore the issue should not be mixed with the demand for ILP.
