TURA: The Garo Students’ Union (GSU) from Khasi Hills has reacted strongly to the statements of K C Boro and the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) and accused them of trying to divide the people on communal and religious lines by spreading misinformation among the people for personal and political gains.
“They should study the purpose of the Sixth Schedule. GHADC has been created under the Sixth Schedule to preserve Indigenous Tribe of Garos and their customs and traditions. Who is LRO to interfere in the matter of GHADC or the Meghalaya Government? The Maharasatra based LRO has no right to interfere in the matter of the Council and it is the the Garo people who will discuss and decide on all matters relating to Garo Hills,” the union said.
The union pointed out that Garos have been living in harmony with the other minor communities peacefully to the extent that they are also able to get jobs whereas, the same cannot be said of Garos living in Assam.
“They should be grateful that they are able to get jobs and high ranks in the state government. The Council is meant solely to protect and preserve the culture and identity of the Garos. If this is an attempt to go against the community, then we are ready to defend the community and protect the rights of the Garos,” it warned.
Meanwhile, pointing out that the Scheduled Tribe List is yet to be modified till date the union said that there was a need to revise the same in Meghalaya as there are many tribes which are in no way related to the state.
“Other states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim have already amended their Scheduled Tribes list as the State Government has the power to make recommendations and rectifications. The Scheduled Tribe list of Meghalaya should be looked into seriously as the ST list has not been updated but copied from Assam after it achieved statehood,” it said. “We welcome the motion raised by KHNAM MLA, Adelbert Nongrum in the Assembly and hope that all the other NGO’s come together and ensure that the three indigenous tribes – Khasi Garo and Jaintia are able to protect their identity and ensure that their rights are not taken away by others,” the union added.