From Our Correspondent
TURA, March 30: Influx remains a major flashpoint across the Garo Hills, with a burgeoning population and the forceful occupation of land driving public anger. It is undeniable that many individuals from outside the state, and even the country, have settled here illegally, compounded by the lack of a mechanism to prevent it.
Recently, there has been a clamour among many in the Garo Hills for the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to weed out dual, fake or illegal voters. This demand grew louder in the run-up to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections, which are currently postponed until further notice.
Can the SIR genuinely put an end to thousands of cases of illegal land occupation by settlers, most of whom have arrived from outside the state and taken up residence on land protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution?
What exactly is the SIR?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to guarantee that all eligible Indian citizens are included in the electoral roll, while simultaneously excluding ineligible individuals. It aims to ensure that electoral rolls across India are accurate, up to date, and inclusive.
Under Article 324 of the Constitution of India and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the ECI holds the power to revise electoral rolls in any state without prior permission from external authorities. Intensive revisions have been carried out 13 times nationwide.
The 14th intensive review, which began in 2025, has currently been suspended by the ECI following controversies. However, this has not dampened the spirits of many in the region; they feel a review of the electoral roll in the Garo Hills would be an eye-opener and possibly serve as an example for the rest of the country.
Why the clamour for SIR?
A recent order passed by the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills officially acknowledged what has been locally known for years: the occupation of land by illegal settlers.
The DC had pointed to the Wadagokgre Aking, where huge tracts of protected land are now in the hands of people of non-tribal origin. This has occurred in an area that is dually protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Sixth Schedule.
This, however, is not an isolated case.
Earlier, another village in the plains belt, Boldamgre, near the Hallidayganj police station, reportedly saw hundreds of non-tribal individuals occupy land allegedly sold off by the ‘chawari’ of the then Nokma. While the village had a purely tribal population of about 90 households just two decades ago, it expanded exponentially in the following decade, resulting in over 400 non-tribal households alongside a similar number of tribal ones.
Although the GHADC eventually course-corrected—after almost letting the entire village be taken over—the damage remains and will be difficult to eradicate.
The illegal settlers, some of whom came from other parts of the plains belt, while others arrived from outside the state, have slowly used their connections to gather the legal documentation required to prove they are bona fide state residents. This is the primary driver behind the demand for the SIR.
The SIR will examine the legacy information of voters dating back to 2002. Because the influx problem in the Garo Hills is roughly two decades old, most residents believe a comprehensive review of electoral IDs could flush out the illegalities that have seeped into the system over time—often aided by official apathy.
“They have slowly, over time, created identities for themselves that make them bona fide citizens of Meghalaya. This is not a one-off thing and has been pointed to by us through many complaints. However, despite what has been reported, the numbers have continued to increase. In fact, we have less documentation than they have,” said Bappun A Sangma, who has been advocating for a clean-up of the voter list for over a decade.
The problem of plenty: dual voters
Dual voters—individuals whose names appear on electoral rolls in at least two states—have been a menace during elections across most parts of the country. Meghalaya is no different, and the plains belt, with its burgeoning population, has been at the centre of concerns regarding dual voters.
Activists from the plains belt have previously submitted multiple complaints, along with proof, to various deputy commissioners concerning dual voters. Whilst this led to a few voters being delisted, it was a drop in the ocean and had minimal impact.
“You can make out the presence of dual voters during the Assam elections. In many parts of the plains belt, candidates actually launch active campaigns in Meghalaya to woo these voters who they know have votes in both states,” noted former Member of District Council (MDC), Smith Momin.
Momin, who previously petitioned the ECI for the implementation of the SIR across the Garo Hills, added: “This is the problem of plenty in the plains belt. Most areas bordering Assam, but definitely within Meghalaya territory, become election melas as candidates try and get them to their side. This has been flagged many times but has never really been seriously investigated. This is wrong and needs immediate rectification. A sincere SIR will definitely bring out these illegally obtained voter IDs and ensure course correction in terms of voter numbers in many constituencies in the plains belt.”
Can SIR genuinely change the present scenario?
The question is not whether the SIR has the capacity to bring about this change. The reality is that, if implemented earnestly, the SIR will undoubtedly weed out the dual, illegal and foreign voters who have made their way into the current electoral system. However, the operative word here is ‘earnestly’.
“Firstly, the ECI needs to give the go-ahead to the exercise. Next happens to be the implementation, which will require people with honesty to investigate such cases. Without sincerity in the exercise, there is really no point in implementing SIR,” observed a resident of Phulbari.
The country has witnessed 13 intensive revisions, but despite these exercises, illegal, dual and foreign voters continue to participate in the electoral process—largely due to politics taking the front seat and skewing the numbers.
Given the history of the SIR and its implementation, only a highly optimistic resident would expect real and substantial change to take place.
