By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 17: Former Chief Executive Member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), Albinush R. Marak, on Tuesday said the newly constituted Executive Committee (EC) must fulfil the public demand to make Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for the council polls.
Marak said the new EC should act in line with public expectations and ensure the implementation of the ST certification requirement, stressing that the issue is central to protecting the rights and identity of the indigenous tribal population.
He stepped down as the CEM on Monday, hours before a scheduled no-confidence motion against him in the council.
On February 17, Marak had issued a notification making ST certificates mandatory for candidates contesting the GHADC elections. Critics and fellow MDCs alleged that he acted unilaterally, without consulting his EC or placing the matter before the House, in violation of prescribed norms.
The notification triggered violent protests and clashes in Garo Hills, resulting in at least two fatalities and multiple injuries.
MDCs from both ruling and opposition sides felt the leadership had lost control of the situation. Twenty-one MDCs filed a petition against Marak on March 14, stating that the House lost confidence in him.
The High Court of Meghalaya recently scrapped the February 17 notification, ruling that the GHADC had not followed due procedure in implementing the ST certificate rule, further weakening Marak’s position.
Activists move Governor for ST-only polls
Demanding ST-only eligibility in council elections and a purge of electoral rolls, a group of social activists on Tuesday approached Meghalaya Governor C.H. Vijayashankar, raising alarm over a “serious dilution of constitutional safeguards” in the Garo Hills.
In a memorandum submitted at Raj Bhavan in Shillong, the signatories sought urgent intervention to protect the integrity of the GHADC, invoking provisions under Article 244(2) and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The activists flagged concerns over the inclusion of non-tribal persons in the electoral rolls, the possible participation of non-tribal candidates in council elections, and the alleged transfer or allocation of land pattas in plain belt areas to non-tribal people.
The memorandum outlined six key demands, including restricting the eligibility to contest GHADC elections exclusively to members of the Garo tribe and ensuring that candidates are bona fide residents of Meghalaya or are born within the state. It also called for a Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls within the jurisdiction of the GHADC to remove non-tribal entries.
Further, the activists sought strict safeguards against the sale or transfer of tribal land to non-tribal people, with inheritance limited to biological heirs, alongside stronger regulatory frameworks to protect tribal autonomy and land rights. They also urged the Governor to invoke supervisory powers to prevent any administrative or electoral actions that could undermine constitutional protections.
